Application of Flow and Transport Optimization Codes to Groundwater Pump and Treat Systems. Volume 1
Abstract
A 1998 Department of Defense (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 was $40 million in fiscal year (FY) 1996. Recent studies 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, changes in contaminant distributions and aquifer stresses, coupled with 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, regulations require that they continue to operate until a more effective 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. The primary objective of this project is to demonstrate the cost benefit of applying transport optimization codes to existing pump and treat systems relative to the traditional trial-&-error approach. The transport optimization codes couple sophisticated nonlinear optimization techniques with simulations of groundwater flow and solute transport. A secondary objective is to provide each installation where the demonstration is performed with alternate pumping strategies that are feasible and cost-effective to implement.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA637690
Entities
People
- Barbara Minsker
- Chunmiao Zheng
- Dave Becker
- Karla Harre
- Kathy Yager
- Laura Yeh
- Richard Peralta
- Robert Greenwald
- Yan Zhang