SOIL CLEAN UP BY INSITU AERATION .6. EFFECTS OF VARIABLE PERMEABILITIES

A mathematical model for in-situ soil vapor stripping (vacuum extraction) is developed and used to examine the effects of a spatially variable pneumatic permeability tensor on the rate of clean-up of a site contaminated with volatile organic compounds. Runs are made with low-permeability clay lenses placed at various locations in the domain of interest; also the effect of soil moisture distribution on the soil gas flow field is examined. The model permits one to carry out a sensitivity analysis of the effects of heterogeneity in the permeability, and to develop strategies for minimizing the damaging effects of domains of low permeability.