Design Screening Tools for Passive Funnel and Gate Systems

• Published in: Ground water Vol. 19; no. 1; pp. 125 - 133
• Main Authors: Sedivy, Robert A., Shafer, John M., Bilbrey, Lacrecia C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-02-1999
• Subjects: 540220 - Environment, Terrestrial- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport- (1990-); CONTAINMENT; CONTAINMENT SYSTEMS; CONTROL; DESIGN; ENGINEERED SAFETY SYSTEMS; ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT; GROUND WATER; HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS; IN-SITU PROCESSING; MASS TRANSFER; MATHEMATICAL MODELS; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; POLLUTION CONTROL; PROCESSING; REMEDIAL ACTION; WATER; WATER POLLUTION CONTROL
• ISSN: 1069-3629; 0017-467X; 1745-6592; 1745-6584
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1745-6592.1999.tb00195.x

The funnel and gate remediation concept (Star and Cherry 1993) represents a promising, yet relatively under‐developed, technology for the passive control and in situ remediation of contaminated ground water. Effective design and implementation of such a system may, however, prove difficult under conditions of large or unpredictable variations in contaminant migration or ground water flow.
Numerical modeling of two‐dimensional ground water flow has been used to predict the hydraulic performance of passive, straight, or winged funnel and gate configurations over a range of hydrogeologic and ambient ground water flow conditions. The results of these analyses were used to construct generic correlation diagrams relating upstream capture zone or gale through put to the barrier, gale, and aquifer characteristics. These diagrams serve as useful screening tools to (1) quantitatively estimate the capture zone of pre‐determined funnel and gale configurations, or (2) develop preliminary funnel and gale designs that will yield a desired capture zone, independent of aquifer characteristics.