Determining location and composition of liquid contaminants in geologic formations
AssigneeIntera Corporation
InventorsRichard E. Jackson, John F. Pickens
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided for locating non-aqueous phase liquid in an aquifer. An aqueous solution having the capacity to solubilize the contaminating liquid to concentrations greater than the solubility of the contaminant in water is injected and produced through a well. Chemical concentrations in produced fluid samples are interpreted to locate the contaminating liquid. Produced fluid samples are chemically analyzed to determine composition of the contaminant.
Claims16
A method for determining the location of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) in a subsurface formation penetrated by one or more wells comprising:
- (a) providing one or more wells and injecting into a well a water-miscible solubilizing solution capable of dissolving a concentration of NAPL greater that the solubility of the NAPL present in water produced from the formation, the solubilizing solution being injected so as to flow into a location in the formation to be tested for the presence of NAPL;
- (b) producing the solubilizing solution injected in step (a) from a well as a plurality of sampling volumes;
- (c) chemically analyzing the produced solubilizing solution of step (b) to determine the concentration of NAPL in each of a plurality of sampling volumes produced;
- and
- (d) determining the location of NAPL in the formation from the concentrations of NAPL in the sampling volumes produced from the location in the formation tested for the presence of NAPL.
A method for determining the composition of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) in a subsurface formation penetrated by one or more wells comprising:
- (a) providing one or more wells drilled into a subsurface formation containing NAPL and injecting into a well an amount of water-miscible solubilizing solution sufficient to contact the liquid;
- (b) producing the solubilizing solution injected in step (a) from a well;
- and
- (c) chemically analyzing the produced solubilizing solution of step (b) thereby determining the fraction of each chemical component of NAPL present.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.