MESOSCALE REMEDIATION VESSEL

This is a view of the mesoscale subsurface remediation vessel that was just completed in the fall of 1996.  It is scheduled to be filled with various materials (clay, sand, etc.) hopefully by the end of the summer so experimentation can then be conducted.  Currently calculations are being performed so stainless steel (304 SS) tubing can be ordered along with bulkhead fittings to create the sampling ports in 3'x3'x2' sections throughout the vessel.  Notice the ladder in the background giving a visual of how big the vessel is (24 ft wide x 24 ft long x 8 ft high); there are no railings on the far sides of the vessel because it is enclosed by the wall, the only danger would be falling into the tank (once it is filled with sand), not out onto the floor.  This vessel will be used to study various remediation technologies and to assess the effectiveness of each technology; it is a small slice of an aquifer that will allow study of heterogeneity along with many other possibilities.

This is a photograph of one of the sides of the mesoscale remediation vessel.  Notice the stairs leading to the walkways for the remediation vessel behind the two-dimensional remediation cell.  The 2-D model cell is used to study the flow of pollutants through various mediums.  Shown here, one can notice the red dye outlining the pollutant.  The 2-D cell is approximately 1 meter high by 2 meters long by 0.1 meters in thickness and is constructed from scratch-resistant Lucite to allow direct observation of flow and transport phenomena.  A larger picture of just the 2-D cell is shown below:  

This photo is of the other side of the remediation vessel which is near the remediation tanks.  There are two tanks which are used for air sparging and other experiments.  Better pictures can be seen in the Air Sparging Experiment Photos.  Below is a better view of what the inside of the vessel looks like; a vacuum cleaner and ladder give nice visual scale.

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