Hydraulic and earth engineering – Soil remediation – In situ contaminant removal or stabilization
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-29
2001-02-06
Lillis, Eileen D. (Department: 3673)
Hydraulic and earth engineering
Soil remediation
In situ contaminant removal or stabilization
C405S131000, C210S741000, C166S272300, C095S257000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06183162
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The urgency of removing organic contaminants from subsurface formations has become increasingly more apparent during the last three decades. This urgency has spawned a tremendous effort to improve subsurface decontamination techniques.
Subsurface decontamination techniques fall into one of two broad classes, aboveground methods and in situ methods. Above-ground methods generally require the removal of contaminated soil and water from the subsurface formation, treatment of such soil and water in aboveground facilities, and re-introduction of the decontaminated water and soil into the subsurface formation. Above-ground methods have been found to be effective but extremely expensive, especially where the subsurface contamination is wide-spread.
For this reason, in situ methods are preferred wherever possible. In almost all in situ methods, contaminated liquids and vapors are withdrawn from a contaminated zone within the subsurface formation via one or more extraction wells. Typically, the contaminated liquids are pumped from the bottom of the extraction well, and the contaminated vapors are removed from the extraction well under vacuum. After removal from the extraction well, these two fluid streams (contaminated liquids and contaminated vapors) are typically treated in separate treatment facilities.
One problem experienced with such in situ processes arises from the large capital and operating expenses of the separate treatment facilities for the contaminated vapor and contaminated liquid streams.
Accordingly, there is a need for an in situ subsurface decontamination method wherein the costs of treating the extracted contaminated vapor and contaminated liquid streams are minimized.
SUMMARY
The invention satisfies this need. The invention is a process for removing organic contaminants from subsurface formations comprising the steps of (a) injecting steam into the subsurface formation via an injection conduit, (b) removing a liquid stream from the subsurface formation via a liquid recovery conduit, (c) removing a vapor stream from the subsurface formation via a vapor recovery conduit, the vapor stream comprising both condensible vapors and non-condensible vapors, (d) combining the liquid stream and the vapor stream to create a combined stream and cooling the combined stream in a heat exchanger so that substantially all of the condensible vapors are condensed to condensed liquids, the condensed liquids being combined with the ground water liquid stream to form a combined liquid stream, and (e) separating the non-condensible vapors from the combined liquid stream.
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Overduin Cornelis L. W.
Sheppard Douglas M.
Addie Raymond
Anderson Denton L.
Lillis Eileen D.
Sheldon & Mak
Southern California Edison
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