Mathematical Modeling of Landfill Gas Extraction
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 115, Issue 6
Abstract
A model, incorporating Darcy's law, is developed for single‐species gas flow inside a nonisotropic porous medium, within which gas is continuously generated. A linear parabolic equation is derived to express the internal pressure variations in terms of the permeability, gas production rate, and boundary conditions of a site when a series of extraction wells are present. The model is used to determine the gas fluxes within a site of rectangular cross section, into which an arbitrary number of horizontal extraction pipes have been installed. This solution is used to predict the consequences of cumulative failures within a complex pumping system, and hence estimate the circumstances under which gas is first able to escape from a site. Using the results of the model some brief guidelines are offered for designing such installations. The analytical solution technique is contrasted with purely numerical methods for similar problems, and the speed and accuracy of each are compared. An efficient computer implementation for preliminary design studies is suggested.
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References
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Bourne, D. E., and Kendall, P. C. (1977). Vector analysis and cartesian tensors. Thomas Nelson & Sons Ltd., United Kingdom, 168.
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Courant, R., and Hilbert, D. (1962). Methods of mathematical physics. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, N.Y., 351–388.
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Findikakis, A. N., and Leckie, J. C. (1979). “Numerical simulation of gas flows in sanitary landfills.” J. Envir. Engrg. Div., ASCE, 105, 927–945.
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Copyright © 1989 ASCE.
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Published online: Dec 1, 1989
Published in print: Dec 1989
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