Finite-Element Modeling of Landfills to Estimate Heat Generation, Transport, and Accumulation
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146, Issue 12
Abstract
In North America, temperatures nearing 100°C have been reported in several municipal solid waste landfills. However, the temporal and spatial-dependent processes that result in excessive heat accumulation are not well understood. The objective of this study was to develop a transient finite-element three-dimensional model that incorporates gas-liquid-heat reactive transfer in a landfill with biotic and abiotic reactions and spatially dependent heat transfer processes to better understand heat generation, accumulation, and propagation. The model incorporates gas-liquid-heat reactive transfer with aerobic and anaerobic biological reactions, anaerobic metal corrosion, and ash hydration and carbonation. Increasing boundary temperature, biological reaction rates, and landfill height increase the maximum temperature in the central region of a landfill, whereas the impact of thermal properties of municipal solid waste (MSW) is small. Simulation results predict that placement of ash near the corner of a landfill reduces the size of the elevated temperature region relative to placement in the landfill center. Mixing heat-generating wastes (ash or Al) with MSW decreases maximum temperatures but results in elevated temperatures over a larger fraction of the landfill volume relative to segregated ash disposal.
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Acknowledgments
This research was supported by a grant from the Environmental Research and Education Foundation.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 146 • Issue 12 • December 2020
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 7, 2020
Accepted: Jul 14, 2020
Published online: Sep 28, 2020
Published in print: Dec 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Feb 28, 2021
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