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Improved Time-lapse ERT Monitoring of Dense Non-aqueous phase Liquids (DNPLs) with Surface-to-horizontal Borehole Arrays
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, Near Surface Geoscience 2014 - 20th European Meeting of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, Sep 2014, Volume 2014, p.1 - 5
Abstract
Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) has long been recognized to exhibit the potential to significantly improve characterization of sites contaminated with dense non-aqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs).
However, the technique has not become a common tool for mapping such contaminants due to the complexity of the DNAPL target coupled with the inherent limitations of the commonly used surface and cross-hole ERT configurations. The objective of this work is to evaluate the potential of surface-to-horizontal borehole (S2HB) ERT for mapping the spatio-temporal evolution of DNAPL mass during remediation. A coupled DNAPL-ERT model was employed to provide an initial, theoretical evaluation of S2HB ERT, relative to surface ERT, for monitoring the remediation of a realistic, field-scale DNAPL source zone. A laboratory experiment was then performed to demonstrate the S2HB ERT approach for a real system involving a changing NAPL distribution over time. Four-dimensional ERT inversion was employed for both numerical and experimental data to generate time-lapse resistivity images of the subsurface regions experiencing NAPL changes. Results demonstrate significantly improved resistivity imaging with S2HB ERT and its potential as a non-invasive DNAPL site tool for mapping DNAPL mass changes during remediation.