Theory of phase-separate multicomponent contaminant transport in frozen soils

Abstract

Groundwater is an essential source of water in Arctic regions due to largely frozen surface water resources. Since the development of Alaskan oil fields and the construction of the trans-Alaska pipeline, there have been a large number of accidental oil spillages in the tundra. The physico-, thermo- and ecosystem of the Arctic has unique features requiring special attention due to low temperatures and the presence of ice. Furthermore, a hot oil spill is subjected to large variations of temperature which creates a dominant impact on flow and phase behavior. Modeling studies of phase-separate contaminants for isothermal conditions neglect these crucial factors. A predictive model is developed herein, to simulate the transport and fate of multicomponent petroleum products in Arctic soils and groundwater. The model is based on identification and quantification of the significant physical, thermal, chemical and biological processes, and construction of mathematical representations of these phenomena to describe the transport and fate of petroleum spills in frozen soils. Since a petroleum product consists of many chemically and biologically reactive components, a general compositional-type model is developed to describe multiphase transport of the petroleum products, or any other multicomponent, phase-separate contaminant under non-isothermal conditions. The model incorporates thermodynamic principles to quantify phase partitioning of contaminant components and phase separation. Aerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbon constituents is incorporated into the formulation through Monod-type kinetics. A limit on biodegradation is imposed when oxygen is depleted from the system beyond which the biodegradation rate depends on the flux rate of oxygen.