NAVAL FACILITIES ENGINEERING COMMAND Washington, DC 20374-5065 NFESC Technical Report TR-2193-ENV FINAL AIR SPARGING GUIDANCE DOCUMENT Contract N47408-95-D-0730 Delivery Order No. 0090/0123 Prepared for Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center 1100 23rd Avenue Port Hueneme, California 93043 Prepared by Battelle 505 King Avenue Columbus, OH 43201-2693 August 31, 2001 Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. Printed on Recycled Paper This document has been prepared under the direction of the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Service Center (NFESC). The NFESC is the Navy’s center for specialized facilities engineering and technology. Products and services include shore, ocean, and waterfront facilities; environment; amphibious and expeditionary operations; and energy and utilities. As a member of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) team, NFESC provides worldwide support to Navy engineering activities, fleet and shore activities, the Marine Corps, and other Department of Defense (DoD) agencies. NFESC provides solutions to problems through engineering, design, construction, consultation, test and evaluation, technology implementation, and management support. The vendors and products, including the equipment, system components, and other materials identified in this report, are primarily for information purposes only. Although the Navy may have used some of these vendors and products in the past, mention in this report does not constitute the Navy’s recommendation for using these vendors or products. ii CONTENTS Figures .......................................................................................................................................................... v Tables............................................................................................................................................................ v Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................................ vi Acronyms and Abbreviations .....................................................................................................................vii 1.0 Introduction...........................................................................................................................................ix 1.1 Background...................................................................................................................................... 9 1.2 Scope of Document.......................................................................................................................... 2 2.0 Site Characterization and Feasibility Analysis ...................................................................................... 5 2.1 Site Characterization........................................................................................................................ 5 2.2 Air Sparging System Effectiveness ................................................................................................. 5 2.2.1 Contaminant-Related Issues .................................................................................................5 2.2.2 Geology- and Hydrogeology-Related Issues........................................................................ 9 2.3 Air Sparging System Implementability.......................................................................................... 11 2.4 Air Sparging System Costs............................................................................................................ 11 3.0 Regulatory Issues and Permitting ........................................................................................................ 13 3.1 Establishing Cleanup Goals........................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Performance Objectives................................................................................................................. 14 3.3 Permitting Issues............................................................................................................................ 15 3.3.1 Well Installation and Boring Permits ................................................................................. 15 3.3.2 Permit to Construct and Operate an Air Pollution Control Device .................................... 15 3.3.3 Certificate of Exemption Permit......................................................................................... 16 3.3.4 Underground Injection Control Permit............................................................................... 17 4.0 System Design and Construction......................................................................................................... 18 4.1 Target Treatment Area Definition ................................................................................................. 18 4.1.1 Petroleum Hydrocarbons.................................................................................................... 19 4.1.2 Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compounds ......................................................................... 19 4.2 Pilot-Scale Testing......................................................................................................................... 19 4.2.1 Pilot-Scale Testing Equipment ........................................................................................... 20 4.2.2 Pilot-Scale Testing Layout .................................................................................................21 4.2.3 Pilot-Scale Test Evaluation ................................................................................................21 4.3 Full-Scale Implementation............................................................................................................. 22 4.3.1 Air Injection System........................................................................................................... 23 4.3.1.1 Injection Well Placement...................................................................................... 23 4.3.1.2 Injection Well Design ........................................................................................... 24 4.3.1.3 Air Compressor Selection..................................................................................... 27 4.3.2 Vapor Extraction and Treatment System............................................................................ 28 4.3.3 Monitoring Network........................................................................................................... 29 4.3.3.1 Groundwater Monitoring Wells............................................................................ 29 4.3.3.2 Multilevel Monitoring Points................................................................................ 29 5.0 System Operation, Monitoring, and Optimization............................................................................... 33 5.1 System Startup............................................................................................................................... 33 5.2 System Operation........................................................................................................................... 34 iii 5.3 System Performance Monitoring................................................................................................... 34 5.3.1 Operation Parameters ......................................................................................................... 35 5.3.2 Estimating Contaminant Removal...................................................................................... 35 5.3.3 Compliance Monitoring......................................................................................................36 5.3.3.1 Groundwater Monitoring ...................................................................................... 36 5.3.3.2 Soil Vapor Monitoring.......................................................................................... 37 5.4 System Optimization...................................................................................................................... 37 5.4.1 Evaluation of Cleanup Goals and Performance Objectives................................................ 37 5.4.2 Optimizing Airflow ............................................................................................................ 39 5.4.3 Optimizing Well Placements.............................................................................................. 39 6.0 System Shutdown, Long-Term Monitoring, and Site Closure............................................................. 41 6.1 System Shutdown .......................................................................................................................... 41 6.2 Long-Term Monitoring.................................................................................................................. 41 6.3 Site Closure.................................................................................................................................... 42 7.0 References............................................................................................................................................ 43 Appendix A: Focused Literature Review ................................................................................................A-1 Appendix B: Compendium of Competing Remedial Technologies.......................................................