MODIFICATION

RECENT PROMISING DEVELOPMENTS IN THE PETROLEUM INDUSTRY "PROFILE MODIFICATION TECHNOLOGY" (PMT) WILL BE EVALUATED FOR THEIR APPLICATION TO LEAKING LANDFILL SITES. PROFILE FLOW MODIFICATION TREATMENTS ARE USED TO INCREASE FLOW RESISTANCE IN HIGH PERMEABILITY AREAS FAR (75 FEET TO AS MUCH AS 1000 FEET) FROM THE INJECTION WELLBORE. THESE TREATMENTS CAN WITHSTAND FORMATION PRESSURES AND TEMPERATURES UP TO 200F. THE TREATMENT MATERIALS READILY ATTACH TO RESERVOIR ROCK SURFACES AND THEN CROSS-LINK TO PLUG THE PORES IN PERMEABLE FORMATIONS. THE PROSPECT OF SEALING OFF LARGE, HIGHLY PERMEABLE (LEAKING) AREAS IN THE BASES OF LANDFILLS IS VERY APPEALING. HOWEVER, SEVERAL FUNDAMENTALCONCERNS MUST BE ADDRESSED BEFORE THIS PROCESS CAN BE FIELD TESTED AND COMMERCIALIZED. THE MOST COMMON CONCERN WITH THIS TECHNIQUE IS WHETHER THE MATERIAL WILL BE RESISTANT TO THE WASTES STORED IN LANDFILLS. OTHER CONCERNS INCLUDE WHETHER THE TREATMENT CAN PHYSICALLY PENETRATE AND THEN SEAL THE LEAKING AREAS AND CAN BE AP APPLIED EFFICIENTLY ENOUGH TO BE AN ECONOMIC ALTERNATIVE TO COMPETING REMEDIAL MEASURES. THESE ISSUES WILL BE EVALUATED TO DETERMINE POSSIBLE APPLICATION OF EXISTING IN SITU GEL MATERIALS CONSIDERING THEIR COMPATIBILITY WITH REPRESENTATIVE HAZARDOUS WASTES. THE MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLEFOR UNSATISFACTORY IN-SITU GEL PERFORMANCE WILL BE IDENTIF IED AND IMPROVEMENT RECOMMENDED. ALSO THE FLOW BEHAVIOR OF OF THESE MATERIALS WILL BE EXAMINED IN A SIMULATED LANDFILL ENVIRONMENT TO DETERMINE WHETHER THIS NEW GEOLOGICAL SETTINGPOSES SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS FOR THE APPLICATION OF PMT TO L LANDFILL LEACHATE CONTROL.