TY - GEN
T1 - Migration of Aqueous Benzene through a Subsurface Concrete Utility Pipe under Saturated Soil Conditions
AU - Alhomair, S.
AU - Hosseini, P.
AU - Gabr, M.
AU - Pour-Ghaz, M.
AU - Knappe, D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of contamination by the aqueous benzene through transport in a saturated soil domain supporting subsurface concrete pipe. The focus of the study was on assessing the potential for benzene to migrate through concrete pipe and/or its joints (gaskets) for both intact and damaged conditions. A three-dimensional finite difference method (FDM), implemented through Visual MODFLOW Flex, was utilized to simulate groundwater flow and contaminant transport phenomena. Site conditions and soil parameters were selected on the basis of the average range of hydrologic parameters representative of regions in the coastal area of North Carolina. The study was conducted by varying the following parameters: i. hydraulic conductivity (k), and ii. longitudinal dispersivity (αL). Damaged pipe and damaged gaskets scenarios were considered, as represented by k-values. No benzene broke through the pipe, even under damaged gaskets scenarios, when the saturated ksoil was 10-5 cm/s. In this case, benzene was transported upward into the backfill soil with a higher kbackfill of 10-3 cm/s. For damaged pipe scenarios and ksoil =10-5 cm/s, benzene concentrations inside of the pipe remained below 5 μg/L, the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for drinking water. In the case of the saturated ksoil=10-3 cm/s, benzene concentrations reached the MCL for the case of damaged pipe. The highest potential for aqueous benzene migration into water flowing in the pipe was when pipe damage was assumed.
AB - The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of contamination by the aqueous benzene through transport in a saturated soil domain supporting subsurface concrete pipe. The focus of the study was on assessing the potential for benzene to migrate through concrete pipe and/or its joints (gaskets) for both intact and damaged conditions. A three-dimensional finite difference method (FDM), implemented through Visual MODFLOW Flex, was utilized to simulate groundwater flow and contaminant transport phenomena. Site conditions and soil parameters were selected on the basis of the average range of hydrologic parameters representative of regions in the coastal area of North Carolina. The study was conducted by varying the following parameters: i. hydraulic conductivity (k), and ii. longitudinal dispersivity (αL). Damaged pipe and damaged gaskets scenarios were considered, as represented by k-values. No benzene broke through the pipe, even under damaged gaskets scenarios, when the saturated ksoil was 10-5 cm/s. In this case, benzene was transported upward into the backfill soil with a higher kbackfill of 10-3 cm/s. For damaged pipe scenarios and ksoil =10-5 cm/s, benzene concentrations inside of the pipe remained below 5 μg/L, the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for drinking water. In the case of the saturated ksoil=10-3 cm/s, benzene concentrations reached the MCL for the case of damaged pipe. The highest potential for aqueous benzene migration into water flowing in the pipe was when pipe damage was assumed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85063486003&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1061/9780784482148.012
DO - 10.1061/9780784482148.012
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85063486003
SN - 9780784482148
T3 - Geotechnical Special Publication
SP - 115
EP - 124
BT - Geotechnical Special Publication
A2 - Meehan, Christopher L.
A2 - Kumar, Sanjeev
A2 - Pando, Miguel A.
A2 - Coe, Joseph T.
PB - American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
T2 - 8th International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering: Geoenvironmental Engineering and Sustainability, Geo-Congress 2019
Y2 - 24 March 2019 through 27 March 2019
ER -
