M. El-FadelDepartment of Civil Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, U.S.A.A.N. Fi...

1. Numerical Modelling of Generation and Transport of Gas
and Heat in Landfills I. Model Formulation
M. El-FadelDepartment of Civil Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, U.S.A.
A.N. FindikakisDepartment of Civil Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, U.S.A.
J.O. LeckieDepartment of Civil Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, California, U.S.A.
A mathematical model for the generation and transport of gas and heat in a sanitary landfill was
developed based on earlier
work on the Mountain View Controlled Landfill Project (MVCLP) in California, U.S.A. The present
model incorporates biokinetic
model equations describing the dynamics of the microbial landfill ecosystem into multi-layer, time-
dependent transport and
generation of gas and heat models. It is based on the fundamental principles governing the physical,
chemical and microbiological
processes in a porous media context such as a sanitary landfill. The model includes biochemical and
temperature feedback loops
to simulate the effects of their corresponding parameters on microbiological processes. The
resulting integrated biokinetic,
gas and heat generation and transport model was used to simulate field data from the MVCLP and to
assess the sensitivity of
model results to biological parameters. The model can be used to predict the rate and total
production of methane in a landfill.
The present work is presented in a series of three papers: (I) model formulation; (II) model
application; and (III) sensitivity
analysis*.