The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 18, 2020
Filed:
Apr. 25, 2016
E-flux, Llc, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Julio Zimbron, Fort Collins, CO (US);
E-Flux, LLC, Fort Collins, CO (US);
Abstract
The disclosed apparatus, systems and methods relate to estimating the rate of biodegradation of contaminants in the ground by measuring thermal gradients in the vadose zone where heat is produced by biodegradation reactions, and averaging over a full seasonal period, such as one year or one seasonal cycle, in which the groundwater temperatures and surface temperatures vary in a cyclical manner. Exemplary embodiments correct for the delay required by the heat being produced in the ground to reach the locations where the temperature gradients are measured, and also cancel out the signal noise caused by the changing surface and groundwater temperatures. In further embodiments, a mathematical model is provided to test the validity of the invention on two example sites.