Difluoromethane as Partitioning Tracer to Estimate Vadose Water Saturations
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 125, Issue 7
Abstract
Water saturation in the vadose zone is an important parameter for many nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) remediation technologies. Conventional soil boring analyses may not provide accurate average water saturation data. Previous studies have shown that a partitioning interwell tracer test (PITT) can provide an accurate estimate of average subsurface NAPL saturations. The PITT is proposed as a suitable technology for estimating average subsurface water saturations. In this research, difluoromethane was evaluated as a suitable tracer compound to partition among air, water, and NAPL phases. Method of moments analyses were used to develop equations necessary to determine water saturations from difluoromethane PITT results. One-dimensional column experiments provided air-water and air-NAPL partition coefficient data for difluoromethane. Difluoromethane is shown to be a suitable tracer for use in field PITTs to predict water saturations in the vadose zone.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 125 • Issue 7 • July 1999
Pages: 630 - 633
History
Received: May 13, 1998
Published online: Jul 1, 1999
Published in print: Jul 1999
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