Closed cryogenic barrier for containment of hazardous material migration in the earth

The method for reversibly establishing a cryogenic barrier confinement system about a predetermined volume extending downward beneath a confinement surface region of the Earth, comprising the steps of:

• A. establishing an array of barrier boreholes extending downward from spaced apart locations on the periphery of said confinement surface region,
• B. establishing a flow of a refrigerant medium in said barrier boreholes,
• whereby the water in the portions of the Earth adjacent to said barrier boreholes freezes to establish ice columns extending axially along and radially about the central axes of said barrier boreholes, wherein the position of said central axes, the radii of said columns and the lateral separations of said barrier boreholes are selected so that adjacent columns overlap, said overlapping columns collectively establishing said barrier confinement system, and
• comprising the further steps of:
• establishing a substantially fluid impervious outer barrier outside said predetermined volume enclosed by said ice columns, by:
• C. establishing an array of outer boreholes extending downward from spaced apart locations on the outer periphery of a substantially circumferential surface region surrounding said confinement surface region of the Earth,
• D. establishing a flow of a refrigerant medium in said outer boreholes,
• whereby the water in the portions of the Earth adjacent to said outer boreholes freezes to establish ice columns extending axially along and radially about the central axes of said outer boreholes, wherein the radii of said columns and the lateral separations of said outer boreholes are selected so that adjacent columns overlap, said overlapping columns collectively establishing said outer barrier,
• wherein said central axes of said barrier boreholes define a first mathematical reference surface, and said central axes of said outer boreholes define a second mathematical reference surface, so that, along mathematical reference planes passing through said central axes of said barrier boreholes and said central axes of said outer boreholes, said reference planes intersect said first reference surface along a closed, continuous piecewise linear first curve, and said reference planes intersect said second reference surface along a closed, continuous piecewise linear second curve, said second curve being larger than and exterior to said first curve, wherein at least one portion of said first curve is separated from the adjacent portion of said second curve by at least approximately fifty feet.

The method for reversibly establishing a cryogenic barrier confinement system about a predetermined volume extending downward beneath a confinement surface region of the Earth, comprising the steps of:

• A. establishing an array of barrier boreholes extending downward from spaced apart locations on the periphery of said confinement surface region,
• B. establishing a flow of a refrigerant medium in said barrier boreholes,
• whereby the water in the portions of the Earth adjacent to said barrier boreholes freezes to establish ice columns extending axially along and radially about the central axes of said barrier boreholes, wherein the position of said central axes, the radii of said columns and the lateral separations of said barrier boreholes are selected so that adjacent columns overlap, said overlapping columns collectively establishing said barrier confinement system, and
• comprising the further steps of:
• establishing a substantially fluid impervious outer barrier outside said predetermined volume enclosed by said ice columns, by:
• C. establishing an array of outer boreholes extending downward from spaced apart locations on the outer periphery of a substantially circumferential surface region surrounding said confinement surface region of the Earth,
• D. establishing a flow of a refrigerant medium in said outer boreholes,
• whereby the water in the portions of the Earth adjacent to said outer boreholes freezes to establish ice columns extending axially along and radially about the central axes of said outer boreholes, wherein the radii of said columns and the lateral separations of said outer boreholes are selected so that adjacent columns overlap, said overlapping columns collectively establishing said outer barrier,
• wherein the central axis of at least one of said outer boreholes is substantially equidistant from the respective central axes of each of the nearest two barrier boreholes.

The method for reversibly establishing a cryogenic barrier confinement system about a predetermined volume extending downward beneath a confinement surface region of the Earth, comprising the steps of:

• A. establishing an array of barrier boreholes extending downward from spaced apart locations on the periphery of said confinement surface region,
• B. establishing a flow of a refrigerant medium in said barrier boreholes,
• whereby the water in the portions of the Earth adjacent to said barrier boreholes freezes to establish ice columns extending axially along and radially about the central axes of said barrier boreholes, wherein the position of said central axes, the radii of said columns and the lateral separations of said barrier boreholes are selected so that adjacent columns overlap, said overlapping columns collectively establishing said barrier confinement system, and
• comprising the further steps of:
• establishing a substantially fluid impervious outer barrier outside said predetermined volume enclosed by said ice columns, by:
• C. establishing an array of outer boreholes extending downward from spaced apart locations on the outer periphery of a substantially circumferential surface region surrounding said confinement surface region of the Earth,
• D. establishing a flow of a refrigerant medium in said outer boreholes,
• whereby the water in the portions of the Earth adjacent to said outer boreholes freezes to establish ice columns extending axially along and radially about the central axes of said outer boreholes,
• wherein the radii of said columns and the lateral separations of said outer boreholes are selected so that adjacent columns overlap, said overlapping columns collectively establishing said outer barrier,
• wherein the central axes of at least a sub-set of consecutive ones of said barrier boreholes are offset in a zig-zag pattern from said periphery of said confinement surface region, and
• wherein the central axes of at least a sub-set of consecutive ones of said outer boreholes are offset in a zig-zag pattern from said outer periphery of said circumferential surface region surrounding said confinement surface region.

The method for reversibly establishing a cryogenic barrier confinement system about a predetermined volume extending downward beneath a confinement surface region of the Earth, comprising the steps of:

• A. establishing an array of barrier boreholes extending downward from spaced apart locations on the periphery of said confinement surface region,
• B. establishing a flow of a refrigerant medium in said barrier boreholes,
• whereby the water in the portions of the Earth adjacent to said barrier boreholes freezes to establish ice columns extending axially along and radially about the central axes of said barrier boreholes, wherein the position of said central axes, the radii of said columns and the lateral separations of said barrier boreholes are selected so that adjacent columns overlap, said overlapping columns collectively establishing said barrier confinement system, and
• comprising the further steps of:
• wherein the central axes of at least a sub-set of consecutive ones of said barrier boreholes are offset in a zig-zag pattern from said periphery of said confinement surface region.

The method for reversibly establishing a cryogenic barrier confinement system about a predetermined volume extending downward beneath a confinement surface region of the Earth, comprising the steps of:

• A. establishing an array of barrier boreholes extending downward from spaced apart locations on the periphery of said confinement surface region,
• B. establishing a flow of a refrigerant medium in said barrier boreholes,
• whereby the water in the portions of the Earth adjacent to said barrier boreholes freezes to establish ice columns extending axially along and radially about the central axes of said barrier boreholes, wherein the position of said central axes, the radii of said columns and the lateral separations of said barrier boreholes are selected so that adjacent columns overlap, said overlapping columns collectively establishing said barrier confinement system, and
• comprising the further steps of:
• establishing a substantially fluid impervious outer barrier outside said predetermined volume enclosed by said ice columns, by:
• C. establishing an array of outer boreholes extending downward from spaced apart locations on the outer periphery of a substantially circumferential surface region surrounding said confinement surface region of the Earth,
• D. establishing a flow of a refrigerant medium in said outer boreholes,
• whereby the water in the portions of the Earth adjacent to said outer boreholes freezes to establish ice columns extending axially along and radially about the central axes of said outer boreholes,
• wherein the radii of said columns and the lateral separations of said outer boreholes are selected so that adjacent columns overlap, said overlapping columns collectively establishing said outer barrier, and
• comprising the further step of:
• E. establishing said flow of refrigerant in said inner boreholes and said flow of refrigerant in said outer boreholes whereby at least some of said ice columns extending about said barrier boreholes overlap adjacent ice columns extending about said outer boreholes, said overlapping adjacent columns collectively establishing a composite barrier having a width greater than the distance between the central axes of said barrier boreholes and the central axes of said adjacent outer boreholes.