How Does the Aimoli AML920 Groundwater Flow Velocity and Direction Meter Prevent Cross-Contamination Between Wells?
The Aimoli AML920 groundwater flow velocity and direction meter features cross-interference protection between wells, which can effectively reduce the risk of cross-contamination caused by the instrument carrying pollutants from one well to another during groundwater contamination investigations.
The pump housing of the Aimoli AML920 groundwater flow velocity and direction meter is covered with a specially designed layer of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) protective film. This protective film can be understood as similar to household plastic wrap.
For example, when we buy a cabbage, we may wrap it in a layer of plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss. The AML920 uses a similar protection concept for its pump housing, except that it does not use ordinary plastic wrap. Instead, it uses a specially customized polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) protective film to protect the pump.
Why Is It Necessary to Prevent Cross-Interference Between Wells During Groundwater Contamination Investigations?
During groundwater contamination investigations, cross-contamination between wells can occur.
For example, suppose a contaminated site has 10 wells. Only 1 of the 10 wells may be seriously contaminated, while the other 9 wells may have no contamination or may have contamination levels that are not serious and do not exceed the relevant limits.
If the heavily contaminated well is measured first, and the instrument is not thoroughly cleaned afterward or no effective cross-contamination protection measures are taken, the same instrument may carry pollutants from the contaminated well into another well during the next measurement.
As a result, a well that was originally uncontaminated, or not seriously contaminated, could potentially be affected by pollutants carried by the instrument.
More seriously, if this causes abnormal test data, the entire site could potentially be classified as a contaminated site.
However, in reality, there may have originally been a contamination problem in only one well. If other wells are affected because of improper instrument cleaning or operation, the scope of the contamination assessment could be unnecessarily expanded, which would clearly be counterproductive.
AML920 Uses a One-Protection-Film-Per-Well Design
Therefore, during groundwater contamination investigations, it is necessary to add a layer of protective material to the pump head and related components that enter the well.
The Aimoli AML920 groundwater flow velocity and direction meter uses a specially designed polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) protective film. When the equipment is used in different wells, a new protective film can be installed for each well to reduce the risk of cross-contamination between wells.
In other words, a new protective film needs to be replaced for every well measured.
Therefore, this specially designed protective film is also a consumable for the Aimoli AML920 groundwater flow velocity and direction meter.
Some people may think that replacing the protective film for every well will increase operating costs. However, from the perspective of the overall groundwater contamination investigation, this design is actually very necessary.
During contaminated-site investigations, the concern is not the additional cost of using one protective film. The real concern is that cross-contamination caused by pollutants carried by the instrument or improper operation could result in an area that is not actually contaminated being incorrectly classified as a contaminated site.
Once this happens, the subsequent investigation, risk assessment, and remediation processes may involve a series of additional activities. The resulting costs and potential impact can be far greater than the cost of a single protective film.
Therefore, the AML920 provides an additional layer of protection for groundwater contamination investigations through its cross-interference protection between wells + specially designed PTFE protective film replacement for each well.
Protecting every well and preventing instrument-related cross-contamination from affecting the final investigation results is also an important design feature of the Aimoli AML920 for groundwater contamination investigations.
