Multi-Phase Extraction (MPE)

Multi-Phase Extraction (MPE) is a generic term for technologies that extract groundwater, LNAPL, and hydrocarbon vapor from the subsurface, remediating dissolved, vapor, residual, and non-aqueous phases of contamination. SMA employees have designed, installed, operated, and maintained hundreds of MPE systems at sites all across the country.

Depending of your specific site conditions such as the presence of LNAPL in both the saturated and vadose zones, low to moderate soil permeability, infeasible or cost prohibitive ex-situ soil treatment options, and remediation time and endpoint constraints, SMA can design an effective MPE system for your site. In particular, low permeability formations tend to possess thick capillary zones with LNAPL held in the pore spaces by capillary forces at less than atmospheric pressure. The vacuum enhancement by MPE can overcome these capillary forces and remove the LNAPL from the subsurface.

SMA can design an MPE system tailored to your specific site conditions that incorporates your business’ environmental compliance, schedule, and budget within a single design. We have installed MPE systems at sites ranging in size from small retail gas stations to large petroleum refineries and international airports. SMA has also designed, installed, and operated mobile systems for HVR and DPE that are capable “self-sufficient” operation utilizing an internal combustion engine (ICE) that uses the engine manifold to create vacuum, and the recovered hydrocarbon vapor (with propane make-up) as fuel. The ICE also supplies its own power that can be used for the system controls, compressed air generation, water/LNAPL transfer and treatment, and alarm monitoring and callouts. (Reference Project).