Brief

At an active bulk fuel facility located in a highly developed urban area in eastern Saudi Arabia, historical spills and leaks had resulted in up to 2.0m of gasoline floating on the water table. The site and geographic location required a flexible, discrete solution with no outside energy requirements that could withstand the extreme climactic conditions without interfering with the facility’s operations or the surrounding urban population.

Process

To meet the challenges associated with this site, IRSL recommended extracting the LNAPL (Light Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid) through solar-powered pneumatic skimmers. All power requirements would be met through the solar panels. For the duration of the project, a full-time engineer remained on-site to continuously adjust and optimize the system.

Free product removal was completed through extraction wells instrumented with pneumatic skimmers equipped with hydrophobic filters. The filters allowed only the LNAPL through, leaving the water behind.

Results

Over 3,200 litres of gasoline were removed over the course of the project.

The extracted liquid was greater than 99.99% gasoline, minimizing the need to treat extraneous water and translating into real cost savings for the client.

The pilot project was deemed a complete success, initiating plans for several full-scale projects.

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