Optimal Pulsed Pumping for Aquifer Remediation When Contaminant Transport is Affected by Rate-Limited Sorption: A Calculus of Variation Approach
Abstract
The remediation of groundwater contamination continues to persist as a social and economic problem due to increased governmental regulations and public health concerns. Additionally, the geochemistry of the aquifer and the contaminant transport within the aquifer complicates the remediation process to restore contaminated aquifers to conditions compatible with health-based standards. Currently, the preferred method for aquifer cleanup (pump-and-treat) has several limitations including, the persistence of sorbed chemicals on soil matrix and the long term operation and maintenance expense. The impetus of this research was to demonstrate that a calculus of variations approach could be applied to a pulsed pumping aquifer remediation problem where contaminant transport was affected by rate-limited sorption and generalized to answer several management objectives. The calculus of variation approach produced criteria for when the extraction pump is turned on and off. Additionally, the analytic solutions presented in this research may be useful in verifying numerical codes developed to solve optimal pulsed pumping aquifer remediation problems under conditions of rate-limited sorption.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA284700
Entities
People
- Richard T. Hartman
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology