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US 2009/0014167 A1Published application
Dual Point Adjustable Depth Air Sparging Well System
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Navy
InventorAndrew S. Drucker
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An adjustable depth air sparging well system having a fixed depth or secondary air injection point and an adjustable depth or primary air injection point for injecting compressed air into saturated or groundwater regions of the soil's subsurface to remove volatile contaminants from the soil's subsurface. At least one flow-through air sparge packer which is slidably mounted within the well casing of the air sparging well system allows a user to adjust the depth at which the adjustable depth air injection point is set. The flow through air sparge packer is available in one, two and one half and five foot lengths.
Claims20
An adjustable depth air sparging system for removing volatile contaminants from a saturated zone within the soil subsurface comprising:
- (a) a vertically oriented well casing extending downward into the saturated zone within the soil subsurface, said well casing having a screened portion at a lower end thereof positioned within said saturated zone;
- (b) a flexible air supply line centrally located within the interior of said well casing, said flexible air supply line extending downward through said well casing into an upper end portion of the screen portion of said well casing;
- (c) air supply means connected to said flexible air supply line for providing pressurized air to said air supply tube;
- (d) a flow-through air sparge packer positioned within the screened portion of said well casing, said flow-through air sparge packer having an air supply line centrally located therein, said air supply line having an upper end connected to said flexible air supply line, a lower end and a plurality of openings;
- (e) said flow-through air sparge packer having an elastomeric material which extends from the upper end of air supply line to the lower end of said air supply line and covers the openings within said air supply line forming an air tight seal around said air supply line;
- (f) adjustable depth injecting means affixed to the lower end of said air supply line of said flow-through air sparge packer to receive said pressurized air, said adjustable depth injecting means injecting said pressurized air through the screened portion of said well casing below said air sparge packer into the saturated zone of said soil subsurface at a plurality of pre-selected depths, forming air channels at each of said pre-selected depths through which said pressurized air flows to remove said volatile contaminants from said saturated zone, wherein said flow-through air sparge packer has a plurality of lengths which allows a user to select one of said plurality of lengths of said flow-through air sparge packer to use within said adjustable depth air sparging system for positioning said adjustable depth injecting means within said well screen at each of said pre-selected depths;
- (g) locking means for locking said adjustable depth injecting means in a fixed position at each of said pre-selected depths to prevent vertical movement of said adjustable depth injecting means when said air sparging system is operational;
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- (h) fixed depth injecting means located within the screened portion of said well casing above said air sparge packer, said fixed depth injecting means receiving said pressurized air from said air supply means and then injecting said pressurized air through the screened portion of said well casing above said air sparge packer into said saturated zone forming additional air channels through which said pressurized air flows to remove said volatile contaminants from said saturated zone.
6 more elements
An adjustable depth air sparging system for removing volatile contaminants from a saturated zone within the soil subsurface comprising:
- (a) a vertically oriented well casing extending downward into the saturated zone within the soil subsurface, said well casing having a solid portion at an upper end thereof and a screened portion at a lower end thereof positioned within said saturated zone;
- (b) a flexible air supply line centrally located within the interior of said well casing, said flexible air supply line extending downward through said well casing into an upper end portion of the screen portion of said well casing;
- (c) an air blower having an air exhaust port connected to said flexible air supply line for providing pressurized air to said air supply tube;
- (d) a plurality of flow-through air sparge packer positioned within the screened portion of said well casing, said plurality of flow-through air sparge packers being connected to one another within the screened portion of said well casing, each of said plurality of flow-through air sparge packers having an air supply line centrally located therein, wherein the air supply line of a highest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers within said well screen has an upper end connected to said flexible air supply line, and the air supply line of a remainder of said flow-through air sparge packers has a lower end connected to the upper end of the air supply line of another of said flow-through air sparge packers;
- (e) each of said flow-through air sparge packers having an elastomeric material which extends from the upper end of air supply line to the lower end of said air supply line and covers a plurality of openings within said air supply line forming an air tight seal around said air supply line;
- (f) adjustable depth injecting means affixed to the lower end of the air supply line of a lowest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers within said well screen to receive said pressurized air, said adjustable depth injecting means injecting said pressurized air through the screened portion of said well casing below the lowest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers into the saturated zone of said soil subsurface at a plurality of pre-selected depths, forming air channels at each of said pre-selected depths through which said pressurized air flows to remove said volatile contaminants from said saturated zone, wherein said flow-through air sparge packers have a plurality of lengths which allows a user to select one of said plurality of lengths for each of said flow-through air sparge packers to use within said adjustable depth air sparging system for positioning said adjustable depth injecting means within said well screen at each of said pre-selected depths;
- (g) locking means for locking said adjustable depth injecting means in a fixed position at each of said pre-selected depths to prevent vertical movement of said adjustable depth injecting means when said air sparging system is operational;
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- (h) fixed depth injecting means located within the screened portion of said well casing above the highest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers with said well screen, said fixed depth injecting means receiving said pressurized air from said air supply means and then injecting said pressurized air through the screened portion of said well casing above the highest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers into said saturated zone forming additional air channels through which said pressurized air flows to remove said volatile contaminants from said saturated zone.
6 more elements
An adjustable depth air sparging system for removing volatile contaminants from a saturated zone within the soil subsurface comprising:
- (a) a vertically oriented well casing extending downward into the saturated zone within the soil subsurface, said well casing having a solid portion at an upper end thereof and a screened portion at a lower end thereof positioned within said saturated zone;
- (b) a flexible air supply line centrally located within the interior of said well casing, said flexible air supply line extending downward through said well casing into an upper end portion of the screen portion of said well casing;
- (c) an air blower having an air exhaust port connected to said flexible air supply line for providing pressurized air to said air supply tube;
- (d) a plurality of flow-through air sparge packer positioned within the screened portion of said well casing, said plurality of flow-through air sparge packers being connected to one another within the screened portion of said well casing, each of said plurality of flow-through air sparge packers having an air supply line centrally located therein, wherein the air supply line of a highest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers within said well screen has an upper end connected to said flexible air supply line, and the air supply line of a remainder of said flow-through air sparge packers has a lower end connected to the upper end of the air supply line of another of said flow-through air sparge packers;
- (e) each of said flow-through air sparge packers having an elastomeric material which extends from the upper end of air supply line to the lower end of said air supply line and covers a plurality of openings within said air supply line forming an air tight seal around said air supply line;
- (f) a check valve and screened pressure regulator affixed to the lower end of the air supply line of a lowest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers within said well screen to receive said pressurized air, said check valve and screened pressure regulator injecting said pressurized air through the screened portion of said well casing below the lowest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers into the saturated zone of said soil subsurface at a plurality of pre-selected depths, forming air channels at each of said pre-selected depths through which said pressurized air flows to remove said volatile contaminants from said saturated zone, wherein said flow-through air sparge packers have a plurality of lengths which allows a user to select one of said plurality of lengths for each of said flow-through air sparge packers to use within said adjustable depth air sparging system for positioning said check valve and screened pressure regulator within said well screen at each of said pre-selected depths;
- (g) a compression fitting seal and packer lock mechanism for locking said check valve and screened pressure regulator in a fixed position at each of said pre-selected depths to prevent vertical movement of said check valve and screened pressure regulator when said air sparging system is operational;
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- (h) a fixed depth pressurized air injector located within the screened portion of said well casing above the highest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers with said well screen, said fixed depth pressurized air injector receiving said pressurized air from said air supply means and then injecting said pressurized air through the screened portion of said well casing above the highest positioned one of said flow-through air sparge packers into said saturated zone forming additional air channels through which said pressurized air flows to remove said volatile contaminants from said saturated zone.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.