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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--><div lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><a name="_Toc479530515"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Evaluation of Pump and Treat Technology for Removal of Methane Contamination in a
Fresh Water Aquifer</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Gevargis Muramthookil Thomas, Petroleum Engineering Master Thesis<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Defense date: Thursday, 04/27/2017. Time: 12-2pm Location: ERP3 room 249<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Committee members: Dr. Christine Ehlig-Economides, Chair,</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "></span><b><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Dr. Dimitrios G. Hatzignatiou,</span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "></span><b><span style="font-size: 12.5pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Dr. Konstantinos Kostarelos<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">An operating company has used salt caverns for storage of natural gas since their creation in 1971.A casing
leak developed in a gas storage well used for gas injection into and production from a salt cavern. Evidence suggests that natural gas that escaped because of the casing leak flowed into regional fresh water aquifers located in formation layers above the storage
cavern. Measurements in wells penetrating the aquifers show that the groundwater flows in each in a regional NW to SE direction. Removal of organic and inorganic contaminants from groundwater is done using a pump and treat system. The objective for the proposed
study is to evaluate the effectiveness of pump and treat ground water remediation technology to prevent further migration of gas downstream and remove the methane contamination from the aquifer.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Two criteria we used to select downstream pumping wells are avoiding wells that are currently flaring gas
and uniformly spaced wells. We have also picked the injection wells upstream using similar criteria. We have identified two doublet pairs of production and injection wells for each sand layer in the aquifer that has widespread contamination. We have also identified
wells for monitoring contamination changes over time.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">Bottom hole injection pressure is limited by the formation fracture pressure, and bottom hole producing pressure
is sufficiently high to ensure gas remains in solution until the produced water reaches the surface separation facility. With these pressure constraints, the aquifer hydraulic conductivity defines the achievable flow rates.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;line-height:150%"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; ">We envision the need of a pipeline system for the transportation of water. We have also developed a material
balance equation to estimate how long the circulation should continue to reduce the methane contamination to an acceptable level. It also provides a model for expected concentration decline trend over time in monitoring wells.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 106%; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; "><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></div></div></div></span></body></html>