Changing Technologies
Next to customer service, Research & Development is the most important part of HFG. The rate at which remediation technologies have advanced in the past 10 years has left a void in reliable applications. In the past two years HFG has applied for three patents in response to the problem.
The following is a brief discription of those patents and the need that inspired their development.
"If we can't find it, we will invent it"
Indoor Air Quality
Incident: Fuel oil release in the cellar of a residential property.
IRA:
Excavation of contaminated soils from the cellar.
Special Circumstances:
IRA activities were conducted in the winter,
The elderly couple living in the house could not be relocated
Problem:
High VOC levels in the work zone presented a hazard to the workers and slowed down production. The room could not be adiquately aired out without
dropping the ambient temperature to unacceptable levels.
Solution:
HFG designed a portable air scrubber the fits into a small suitcase. This device can easily be stored in a truck and always be availble on site. It can be deployed
in minutes without delaying clean-up activities.
Patent:
HFG applied for a patent in 2012
Bio/Chemical Treatment
Incident:
A commercial property with a historic release of chlorinated hydrocarbons was revisited to address the new indoor air quality standards.
Air testing:
Indoor air samples were collected and tested for APH. Laboratory results confirmed levels of chlorinated vapors exceeding the industrial air quality standards.
Special Circumstances:
Space constraints prohibit the installation of any kind of remediation system.
Space constraints outside the building prohibit the installation of horizontal injection wells.
Dense glacial till under the building prohibit gravity fed bio/chemical treatments.
Low overhead clearence and lack of open floor space prohibit the use of large injection equipment.
Solution:
HFG designed a skid mounted injection system that has the ability to inject high viscous liquids at controled pressures from 0-200 psi. The system can be
adapted to any pressure. However, the injection wells at the site have a maximum allowable pressure of 200 psi.
Patent:
HFG applied for a patent in 2013.
Pressure Injection Safety
Problem:
A problem was encountered with the skid mounted injection system during our modeling process
How to safely disconnect the injection system from the injection well and still monitor the static pressure inside the injection well.
Solution:
HFG designed a well head that will allow the operator to isolate the well from the injection system and safely depressurize and disconnect the system. The
wellhead will continue to monitor the static pressure inside the well. The operator will be able to tell when the injection has come to completion without the
system being attached.
Patent:
HFG applied for a patent in 2013.