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. For systems in which well depth exceeds applied vacuum (expressed in feet of water),priming may be <br /> necessary to induce vapor flow on startup Priming is achieved by inserting a tube into the extraction well <br /> below the water surface to introduce air flow into the well Reduced fluid column density resulting from <br /> introduction of air enables two-phase flow from the well Groundwater and soil vapors are extracted in the <br /> annular space between the primer tube and well casing After the well is pruned,vapor flow from the <br /> formation provides the air lift necessary to entrain water in the extracted stream Low permeability soils <br /> may require continued use of a pruner to maintain two-phase flow System hydraulics may facilitate the <br /> use of ambient air for pruning or may dictate the use of an air compressor to initiate air flow <br /> Injection of air into the well enhances formation of liquid droplets,which become entrained in the extracted <br />' soil vapor Priming may also be used to enhance mass transfer of DNAPLs by injecting air near the <br /> —confining layer(EPA 1994) _Well-screen entramment systems benefit from-the stripping action of <br />' high-extraction vacuum and turbulence in the extraction well and manifold piping Similar to drop-tube <br /> type extraction,water contaminant reductions of approximately 90 percent have been reported <br /> This type of DPE is the simplest to implement,however,it may have limited effectiveness for water <br /> removal from deep wells Extraction-well entrainment is most effective at sites with shallow groundwater <br /> (less than 10 feet bgs)(Brown and others 1994),but it has been used to depths of approximately 27 feet <br /> (Tetra Tech 1996c) <br /> ' Advantages of extraction-well entramment include simplicity of design and construction Because a <br /> common blower removes both soil vapor and groundwater,downhole pumps and associated controls and <br /> instrumentation are not necessary Systems that do not incorporate continuous priming require only one <br /> piping manifold (for extraction) Systems incorporating pruning,however,do require installation of an <br /> additional piping manifold as well as use of a compressor for air injection <br /> Cloggmg of the well screen can decrease extraction effectiveness (Brown and others 1994) Entrainment of <br /> rsilts and solids may occur in wells that are screened too coarsely or do not have properly sized or graded <br /> gravel pack Systems incorporating existing monitoring wells often require regular maintenance to remove <br /> accumulated fines from collection points,primarily the air/water separator <br /> • 4-12 <br />