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An analytical solution for steady‐state soil vapor extraction (SVE) is derived for both pressure‐controlled and flow‐controlled well with nonuniform radial flux along the well screen. Since the flow rate and wellhead pressure are not lumped into a single variable, the solutions developed here can predict wellhead pressures required to achieve desired extraction rates. Simulations based on the established P (pressure) or P2 linearization of the governing air flow equation yield practically indistinguishable results for steady SVE. Existing numerical models for ground water flow can therefore be used to represent SVE in the P linearization for more complex vadose zone geometry and heterogeneous soils. The maximum differences between pressure distributions predicted by the nonuniform and uniform flux models occur near the ends of the extraction well screen and diminish with radial distance. Application to field test data indicates that estimates of horizontal and vertical soil‐air permeability by the nonuniform flux model become similar to those obtained with the uniform flux model as the extraction well screen is shortened.

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