Remote Remediation Alternative

Challenge

One of Mundell’s remediation sites consisted of six recovery wells which were widely dispersed over a large and very remote area. These well were also very disparate in terms of production rates and sustainable yields. Mundell required a flexible, and above all reliable, remediation alternative for this site. The remediation system would need to be able to deal with the varying capabilities of the recovery wells, be as simple and reliable as possible, and still be cost effective considering the overall size of the site.

Action

Mundell decided to employ six separate independent systems instead of one central system. This greatly reduced the costs that would be associated with moving the water from each well to a central location such as piping and trenching. This also had the advantage of minimizing the distance the untreated water would have to be moved, thus reducing the potential for accidental releases due to leakage. Mundell designed a very simple yet flexible control system for this application. The system would utilize common and easily replaceable parts, yet still have the capability of being easily adapted the needs of each individual recovery well. Most importantly the system would be reliable with as few moving parts as possible. As an example Mundell decided to use a pressure transducer instead of traditional float switches to control the well pumps.

Results

The systems proved to be very easy to adjust to the potential of individual recovery wells and can be quickly modified should changes in the wells output potential occur due to seasonal differences. These systems have run virtually flawlessly to date and have required very little maintenance.
run virtually flawlessly to date and have required very little maintenance.