Groundwater cleanup by in-situ sparging .9. Air channeling model for nonaqueous phase liquid removal

A mathematical model is developed to simulate the removal of dissolved and nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from contaminated aquifers by sparging. The model assumes that the sparging air moves through the aquifer in persistent channels and that NAPL must dissolve and move to these channels by diffusion and dispersion processes. The dependence of the model results on model parameters is explored, and practical implications for sparging well operation are discussed.