Magnetic Resonance In-situ Technology for Long-term Monitoring of Subsurface Contaminant Remediation

This proposal addresses the challenge of efficiently and safely monitoring environmental remediation of soil and groundwater, and the need to measure pore-scale properties of the formation. This problem will be addressed through of innovation and commercialization of remote monitoring NMR technology providing a leap forward in efficient high-resolution monitoring of remediation actions while reducing costs and exposure risks. Vista Clara successfully achieved all major technical goals and commercialization milestones in the Phase II project. These goals include the introduction, development, and commercialization of Javelin Micro, the worldĺs first wireline NMR tool capable of logging 2-inch ID PVC cased boreholes. Another major milestone was developing a remotely controlled NMR system for in-situ monitoring of changes in groundwater signal associated with the progression of remediation reactions. This pilot system was successfully demonstrated to monitor the hydroxyapatite precipitation at Moab UMTRA where this remote system was used on weekly basis to detect the change water content, porosity, and hydraulic conductivity associated with citrate biodegradation and formation of hydroxyapatite that acts like a permeable reactive barrier for uranium. Phase IIB R&D program will focus on three major tasks: (1) Expansion of Javelin, Dart, and GMR Flex surface electronics capability to include control switch box. A control switch box will interface between different components of each NMR system and include connection to solar charging and networking hardware to enable remote long-term monitoring using a single or multiple NMR borehole probes or non-invasive surface NMR monitoring. (2) Improvement of 2D NMR methodologies for direct detection and quantification of hydrocarbons. (3) Development of NMR borehole logging tools for harsh environment. To date, most monitoring remediation approaches rely on direct fluid sampling and soil coring. These manual approaches are extremely cost intensive, provide sparse temporal and spatial coverage, and raise issues around investigation-derived waste disposal and exposure. In many cases, these manual approaches may not reliably capture the parameters of greatest need and hydrogeological changes in the formation due to remediation. Commercialization of in-situ NMR-based remote monitoring technology for assessing remediation progress in the subsurface will fulfil a pressing need for more in-situ long-term monitoring of remediation processes within the formation. Upon commercialization, this technology will significantly reduce remediation monitoring costs, improve assessment of cleanup progress, and will ensure that remediation resources are put to the best possible use across high priority sites.