University of Florida Research Foundation, Incorporated

Kirk Hatfield

Michael David Annable

Harald Rene Klammler

John A Cherry

Beth Louise Parker

Timothy J Campbell

William George McDougal

Mark A Newman

Leif E Layton

P Suresh C Rao

P S Rao

Kanaka Prasad Saripalli

Jaehyun Cho

James William Jawitz

Embodiments of the present invention provide a sediment bed passive flux meter (SBPFM) and associated methods. In one embodiment, an SBPFM is provided. The SBPFM comprises a casing. The casing comprises an intake portion, an exhaust portion, and an intermediate portion between the intake and exhaust portions. The SBPFM further comprises a permeable sock positioned within the intermediate portion of the casing and a sorptive matrix positioned within the sock. The sorptive matrix is impregnated with one or more tracers. The SBPFM is configured to passively intercept, but not retain, groundwater flow passing through the SBPFM from the intake portion to the exhaust portion.

Sediment bed passive flux meter (SBPFM)

An improved method and apparatus for simultaneously monitoring the magnitudes and directions of fluid fluxes and dissolved contaminants fluxes of a general flow system in both simply and multiply screened monitoring wells as well as unscreened boreholes is provided. Also, parameters such as fracture locations, separations, inclinations, orientations of inclination and apertures in a fracture flow system can be estimated. The invention comprises the use of a sorbent layer containing an insoluble sorbent matrix that retains dissolved contaminants, which is attached to an impermeable flexible liner. The matrix may also contain visible or invisible tracers that can be displaced by the fluid flow. The monitoring comprises placing devices in contact with the contaminated flow over certain intervals, thereby allowing contaminants to be sorbed to the sorbing matrix of the layer. Sufficient time is allowed for the contaminant concentrations in the flow field to reach equilibrium. The sorptive layer is then removed from contact with the flow field and analyzed to determine cumulative contaminant fluxes and cumulative fluid fluxes. Dye tracer marks on the sorptive layer allow for identifying fracture locations, separations, inclinations, orientation of inclinations and apertures as well as flow directions in the fracture planes.

Device and method for measuring fluid fluxes, solute fluxes and fracture parameters in fracture flow systems

An improved method and apparatus for simultaneously monitoring the fluid flux and the target chemical mass fluxes in fluid flow systems is provided comprising the use of a body or shell that is inserted into the flow field. Inside or outside this body is a bundle of one or more permeable sorptive columns. The extremes of each column are hydraulically connected to the outside flow field around the body of the device through a pair of small openings in the body. The known non-uniform flow velocity distribution around the body of the invention causes a pressure difference between pairs of openings used to connect internal or external column units. A preferred shape of the body is a hydrofoil. Alternatively, instantaneous measurement of the fluid flux and contaminant composition is possible using pressure transducers and a chemical sensor. The method of monitoring comprises placing the invention in contact with the contaminated flow field, thereby allowing target chemicals in the fluid to be transported through internal column units and be sorbed on the insoluble sorbent matrix. The permeable sorptive column unit is then removed and the sorptive matrix is analyzed directly or visually (if visible tracers are used) to determine cumulative fluid fluxes and cumulative target chemical mass fluxes.

Device and method for passively measuring fluid and target chemical mass fluxes in natural and constructed non-porous fluid flow system

An improved method and apparatus for simultaneously monitoring the fluid flux, and the dissolved contaminants fluxes, in a flow field is provided comprising the use of a permeable unit containing an insoluble sorbent matrix that retains dissolved contaminants. The matrix may also contain tracers that can be displaced by the fluid flow. The method of monitoring comprises placing permeable units in contact with the contaminated flow field, thereby allowing contaminants to flow through the permeable unit and be sorbed on the insoluble sorbent matrix. Sufficient time is allowed for the contaminant concentrations in the flow field to reach equilibrium. The permeable unit is then removed from contact with the flow field and analyzed to determine cumulative contaminant fluxes and cumulative fluid fluxes.

Device and method for measuring fluid and solute fluxes in flow systems

This invention relates generally to methods of measuring interfacial areas, and more specifically to flow-based methods for measuring the area of the interfaces between two immiscible fluids. The immiscible fluids of interest are various oils and gases that do not have significant solubility, and thus form a distinct fluid phase and exist as agglomerations of varying sizes of blobs or ganglia when added to aqueous solutions. Our invention permits the measurement of such fluid-fluid interface areas for two immiscible fluids present in flow systems. The flow-based method involves the introduction of an interfacial tracer chemical into the flow system in one of two modes: (1) step input, and (2) pulse input. The tracer is soluble to appreciable extent in only one of the two fluids, designated as the carrier fluid phase. The average rate of the tracer migration through the flow system is measured and compared with the rate of migration of a non-adsorbing reference tracer which is added along with the interfacial tracer. The amount of the tracer adsorbed is calculated from the amount of the interfacial tracer adsorbed and from the relative migration rates of the interfacial and reference tracers through the flow system. The total fluid-fluid interfacial area present in the flow system is then calculated based on the amount of the interfacial tracer adsorbed and the interfacial area occupied by each of the interfacial tracer molecules.

Measurement of specific interfacial areas of immiscible fluid interfaces

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Gainesville, FL, United States of America

Kirk Hatfield