Institutions:

OAK RIDGE NATL LAB,DIV ENVIRONM SCI/OAK RIDGE//TN/37831
UNIV TENNESSEE,DEPT MATH/KNOXVILLE//TN/37996
NEW MEXICO BUR MINES & MINERAL RESOURCES/SOCORRO//NM/87801

Abstract:

In situ vitrification (ISV) is an environmental remediation technology used to melt contaminated soil sites into more stable configurations. The behavior
of water and other volatile constituents in the soil-melt system is important to the overall performance of the ISV technology. Mass and volume
balance constraints are used to derive a method to indirectly estimate the volume of: (1) soil that dehydrates and releases water vapor to the off-gas,
and (2) outside air pulled into the off-gas treatment system. These constraints allow us to speculate on whether some water may remain in the soil
rather than being completely transported into the off-gas system. The method is tested with data from a field-scale test. Results suggest that, contrary
to previous conceptual models, not all water that is vaporized reaches the surface and captured by the off-gas treatment system. It is probable that
some percentage remains within the soil beneath and around the molten ISV mass.

Keywords:

SOIL MOISTURE; MASS BALANCE; IN-SITU VITRIFICATION

Categories:

WATER RESOURCES; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; GEOSCIENCES