Remediation System Design, Build, Operations + Maintenance with Surfactant Injections

Prior to the construction of a Free-phase product recovery (FPR), Rhea’s engineers and field management personnel reviewed the initial system design and made comments on the design to increase system efficiency and save costs.  Following approval of the proposed changes, Rhea installed the FPR system and began Operations and Maintenance (O&M) with associated monitoring, sampling, and reporting.

Once the final system design was complete, Rhea’s subcontractor installed the FPR system which included the installation of seven vertical recovery wells with pneumatic total fluids pumps, six injection wells, and a FPR trench with two observations wells.  Installed components of the FPR system also included an oil/water separator (OWS), air stripper, inspection sump, transfer pump, bag filters, carbon absorption vessels, air compressor, and associated holding tanks.

Rhea prepared an O&M manual to provide system operators with the proper understanding, techniques, and references necessary to safely and efficiently operate the system. 

Following system installation, Rhea began O&M at the site with the system startup and Rhea has continued operating the system to date.

In order to help enhance the mobilization and recovery of residual free-phase product, a series of subsurface surfactant injection/flushing events are performed during operation of the TC-341 FRP system.  Rhea personnel designed and constructed the mobile injection equipment trailer and self performs the semi-annual injections which have significantly increased the amount of free-phase product recovered

Rhea performs semi-annual gauging and annual sampling of 40 site wells to track the plume size and contaminants present at the site to evaluate the progress of remedial efforts at the site.  Rhea prepares Annual Monitoring Reports (AMR) which summarize the system performance, free-phase product recovery, and groundwater analytical data.  Rhea also makes any recommendations for the O&M of the system to increase recovery at the site in the AMR which is submitted to NCDEQ for approval.

Rhea’s modifications to the system design allowed for over $40,000 in cost savings for the system installation.  Rhea subsequently made additional recommendations regarding system optimizations which has amounted to an annual O&M cost savings of over $55,000 a year. 

Services: Field Monitoring + Management

Industries: Federal Government