The Site Characterization and Analysis Penetrometer System (SCAPS) was developed by the Naval Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance Center, Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Division. SCAPS is mounted on a cone penetrometer testing (CPT) platform for field use; it can be fitted with a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) sensor to provide in situ field screening of petroleum hydrocarbons in subsurface soils. CPT technology has been widely used in the geotechnical industry for determining soil strength and soil type from measurements of tip resistance and sleeve friction on an instrumented probe. The SCAPS CPT platform equipped with LIF sensors can provide real-time field screening of the physical characteristics of soil and chemical characteristics of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination at hazardous waste sites.
SCAPS is primarily designed to quickly and cost-effectively distinguish hydrocarbon-contaminated areas from uncontaminated areas. SCAPS also provides geologic information and reduces the amount of investigation-derived waste. This capability allows further investigation and remediation decisions to be made more efficiently and reduces the number of samples that must be submitted for laboratory analysis.
The LIF system uses a pulsed laser coupled with an optical detector to measure fluorescence through optical fibers. Fluorescence is measured through a sapphire window on a probe that is pushed into the ground with a truck-mounted CPT. LIF provides data on the in situ distribution of petroleum hydrocarbons, measured by the fluorescence response induced in the polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) that comprise the petroleum hydrocarbon. LIF detects PAHs in the bulk soil matrix throughout the vadose, capillary fringe, and saturated zones. LIF also provides a detect-nondetect field screening capability relative to a specified detection limit derived for a specific fuel product on a site-specific soil matrix. In addition, LIF provides qualitative data derived from spectrographic data at depths up to 150 feet.
SCAPS CPT technology equipped with LIF sensors can provide real-time qualitative analysis of subsurface soils. This technology may be useful in screening soils at oil refineries, tank farms, and shipyards. The combined technologies provide substantial cost savings and quicker analyses compared to conventional laboratories.
The SCAPS CPT and LIF technologies were demonstrated at two hydrogeologically distinct field sites under the SITE Characterization and Monitoring Program. The demonstrations were conducted at the Hydrocarbon National Test Site at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Port Hueneme, California in May 1995, and the Steam Plant Tank Farm, Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico in November 1995. An Innovative Technology Evaluation Report (ITER) (EPA/540/R-95/520) was published by EPA.
The SCAPS project is meeting the Navy's goals of (1) expedited development and regulatory acceptance, (2) performance of urgently needed petroleum, oil, and lubricant (POL) field screening at Navy facilities, and (3) technology transfer to industry for widespread use. The SCAPS LIF technology is certified and verified. The technology has matured to become a platform with state-of-the-art sensor technology and a suite of the latest CPT tools for sampling and direct push well installations. On August 5, 1996, the California EPA Department of Toxic Substance Control certified the SCAPS LIF as a site characterization technology for real-time, in situ subsurface field screening for POL contaminants, pursuant to California Health and Safety Code, Section 25200.1.5.
Three SCAPS units are performing POL field screenings at Navy facilities on a prioritized basis. These screenings include plume chasing and plume edge delineation on a finer scale than has been feasible in the past.
The results of the SCAPS demonstrations at Port Hueneme and Sandia National
Laboratories were presented in the ITER and are summarized below:
EPA PROJECT MANAGER:
Bob Lien
U.S. EPA
National Exposure Research Laboratory
Characterization Research Division
P.O. Box 93478
Las Vegas, NV 89193-3478
702-798-2232
Fax: 702-798-2261
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPER CONTACT:
Thomas Hampton
Naval Command, Control, and Ocean Surveillance Center,
Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Division
NCCOSC RDTE DIV 5204
53560 Hull Street
San Diego, CA 92152-5001
619-553-1172
Fax: 619-553-1177