Visualizing JP-8/jet fuel release
Pease Air National Guard base/release from fuel vault #4
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Challenge
An estimated 9,000 gallon release of JP-8/jet fuel occurred in a buried fuel line vault at
the Pease Air National Guard base in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. A faulty valve seal
was determined to be the cause of the release, and immediate response actions
included soil excavation around the vault and installation of a temporary light non-
aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) recovery well. However, the need to maintain active
fueling operations precluded removal of the vault and the impacted soil immediately
below the vault. An estimated 6,000 gallons of JP-8 remained in-situ.
Air sparging with soil vapor extraction was implemented next in an effort to reduce the
residual mass of JP-9 beneath the vault. System operation was carefully documented to
demonstrate continued LNAPL mass removal. The New Hampshire Department of
Environmental Services (NHDES) requested an analysis of remaining JP-8 at the site,
and SES was retained to delineate the 3-dimensional extent of the plume and calculate
total and potentially recoverable LNAPL at the site. Using simple direct-push drilling
combined with field Ultraviolet Fluorescence (UVF) screening, SES fully delineated the
LNAPL Plume in four days.
Using advanced physical laboratory testing SES was able to demonstrate that LNAPL at
the site was not mobile, and not recoverable in meaningful quantities. SES
recommended terminating active remediation at the site, resulting in substantial
operation savings. 3D visualizations, especially sharable 3D PDF models allowed
project stakeholders to understand the site in ways they previously could not
SES Value Added
- SES directed a field Ultraviolet Fluorescence (UVF) assessment to develop
complete 3D delineation of JP-8 plume beneath fuel line vault
- Collected frozen core samples for residual saturation testing by centrifuge and
water drive methods
- Developed a first of its kind correlation between physical, analytical and field
screening methods to verify efficacy of all methods.
- 3D Visualization with Surfer, Voxler and TurboCAD
- Created 3D PDF file of completed model for stakeholder sharing
- Total and potentially recoverable LNAPL volume estimates
- Presented results and recommendation to client and NHDES
- Recommended site closure to client and regulatory agency
- NHDES agreed that further remediation was no needed
Client
