Analysis of Horizontal Flow Treatment Well Applicability for the Treatment of Chlorinated Solvent Contaminated Groundwater at United States Forces Korea Installations.

摘要

Past research has shown that there is a rising public concern with environmental issues in the Republic of Korea (ROK). As Korean government and public interest in the environment grow, there is likely to be increased pressure to remediate environmental contamination at United States Department of Defense (DoD) installations in Korea. Impacting DoD's ability to remediate contaminated sites overseas is the fact that limited environmental funds must compete with high priority mission requirements. Thus, particularly at overseas bases, there is an urgent need for inexpensive and effective groundwater remediation technologies. Horizontal Flow Treatment Well (HFTW) systems have been demonstrated in the U.S. to be an effective technology for managing groundwater contamination. However, the problem of finding a technology that is appropriate for use in Korea is particularly challenging due to the fractured aquifer systems that are ubiquitous throughout the Korean peninsula. The model analyses conducted in this study found that HFTWs have the potential to be a cost effective alternative to conventional technologies for contaminant management in the fractured media found in Korea. This study focused on the containment of groundwater contaminated with chlorinated solvents in the fractured rock aquifers that are commonly encountered at DoD installations in the ROK. Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells were analyzed as a potentially cheaper, safer, and more effective technology for the containment of chlorinated solvent contaminated groundwater. In this study, an HFTW numerical model that was developed for porous media was applied to the fractured systems encountered in the ROK. It was concluded that at the scale of interest, use of a porous media model was appropriate. Both hydrogeologic and design parameters were varied to determine their effects on the technology performance.