Application of Flow and Transport Optimization Codes to Groundwater Pump and Treat Systems. Volume 3
Abstract
The 1998 DoD Inspector General report indicates that the cumulative operating and maintenance (O&M) costs for 75 pump and treat systems operating at DoD chlorinated solvent groundwater sites (a subset of over 200 DoD pump and treat sites) was $40 million in FY 1996, and these costs are projected to reach $1 billion in the year 2020. Recent studies completed by the EPA and the Navy indicate that the majority of pump and treat systems are not operating as designed, have unachievable or undefined goals, and have not been optimized since installation. Even under ideal circumstances, (i.e., when the initial pump and treat system has been appropriately designed with clearly-defined objectives), changes in contaminant distributions and aquifer stresses, alongside evolving regulatory climates result in the need for system optimization. Although it is recognized that many of these pump and treat systems are ineffective for cleanup, it must be realized that to comply with existing regulations, they will continue to operate until the silver bullet solution is developed. In the interim, the potential for tremendous cost savings exists with the application of simple screening tools and optimization-simulation modeling. The optimization-simulation models link mathematical optimization techniques with simulations of groundwater flow and/or solute transport, to determine the best combination of well locations and pumping rates. This project addresses the optimization of pump and treat systems that have been installed to contain and/or remediate groundwater contamination by dissolved chemicals. Optimization will be performed by coupling optimization algorithmns to groundwater flow and transport models to select the best combination of well locations and pumping rates needed to achieve a particular pump and treat design objective. The application of mathematical optimization codes to optimize a pump and treat system can greatly reduce the total life cycle O&M costs for a pump and t
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA604145
Entities
People
- Barbara Minsker
- Chunmiao Zheng
- Dave Becker
- Karla Harre
- Kathy Yager
- Laura Yeh
- Richard Peralta
- Robert Greenwald
- Yan Zhang
Organizations
- Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command