Influence of Ice on the Infiltration of Petroleum into Frozen Coarse-grained Soil

Abstract

Knowledge of how contaminants spread through frozen ground is required to better protect water quality and environmental health. This study investigates the effect of pore ice on vertical and lateral movement of a petroleum product in coarsegrained soils. Time lapse photography is used to track diesel product migrating through two-dimensional flumes packed with wetted soil frozen to 5 ı C. Results from these flow studies indicate that the presence of pore ice blocks pore space, causing increased lateral movement of petroleum, creates preferential pathways resulting in increased petroleum penetration depths, and can restrict infiltration of petroleum into soils with high ice saturations.

Polish Polar Research

“…These findings were also similar to research from Novosibirskie Island, where petroleum in upper horizons decreased by two-ten times in comparison with deeper soil levels (Kachinskii et al 2014). Pathways of petroleum products once entering the soil are very dynamic and with time, the petroleum will migrate downward even in frozen soils as was found in other studies (Barnes and Filler 2003;McCarthy et al 2004;Filler et al 2006;Barnes and Wolfe 2008;White et al 2008).…”

Soil thermal regime after fuel spill cleanup response in a continuous permafrost zone

“…Petroleum recovery techniques under these conditions are typically less cumbersome than when a release occurs on thawed soil. Under frozen conditions, ice present in the soil pore space inhibits the downward movement of petroleum, resulting in the spread of released petroleum across the ground surface (Barnes and Wolfe 2008; Barnes and Chuviline 2008; Barnes and Biggar 2008). Recovery of the released petroleum under these conditions is relatively straightforward in comparison with releases that occur on thawed soils.…”