Numerical analysis of factors influencing air flow pattern during air sparging

Based on the introduction of the governing equations of gas water two-phase flow during air sparging, the influence of different parameters on the air flow pattern in some contaminated site was studied through numerical analysis. The research results are as follows. The intrinsic permeability of soil has great influence on the radius of influence (ROI) and air distribution. ROI decreases with the increase of the soil permeability. As the flow rate of air is raised, ROI will increase a little. Once the stable flow pattern is formed, more flow rate will contribute little to the increase of ROI. The depth of air sparging well under the water table almost has no effect on ROI, therefore position of the well should be mainly determined by the depth of contamination scope. In addition, the air transportation is limited in upper reaches but enhanced in lower reaches, so the ROI of lower reaches is higher than that of upper reaches.