Public Lab Research note


Analyzed Results and Suggested Next Steps for H2S Testing in Aztec, New Mexico

by megan | August 10, 2012 06:54 10 Aug 06:54 | #3231 | #3231

Results SR1 There are essentially four different test sites at this well one to the north east, one to the northwest, one to the east, and one to the southeast.

Test strips to the southeast and east tended to be the darkest, test strips to the northwest were also fairly dark; strips to the north east were the lightest.

Although both horizontal and vertical containers were tested, the only place where that test is useful are the places that test both a horizontal and vertical container in the same spot. These are as follows, 1 & 3 3 is darker, both have spotting 2 & 4 4 is darker, only 2 has spotting 7 & 8 8 is darker and has spotting, 7 is darker on the curve where it was bent 9 & 10 10 is darker, 9 is spotted

More vertical containers show spotted results then horizontal.

Some of the results show a darker band in the center, when the strip was bent to fit in the container.

In all cases except one ( SR1.5) the horizontal containers are darker then the vertical

Some of the strips are spotted with lighter color spots in a darker background, these strip tend to be towards the northwest and southeast.

Results SR2

There are only two real test sites at this location, to the north and southwest.

All of the vertical containers are fairly light compared to the horizontal containers.

The vertical container strips are all darker in the center and the horizontal containers are all spotted.

The places were both a horizontal and vertical container are tested in the same location are as follows.

6 & 5 6 is darker than 5, 6 is spotted and 5 has the center band

4 & 10 4 is darker then 10, 10 is spotted and 4 has center band

There is not much of a gradient at this sight, it shows little difference between areas.

Results Sullivan

There are three real test sites at this location. One to the south, one to the northeast and one to the northwest.

The location of SUL1 and SUL2 was not marked.

The test strips in the horizontal containers are all darker than the test strips in the vertical containers

The places were both a horizontal and vertical container are tested in the same location are as follows.

5, 6 & 7

5 is darkest, than 6, then 7

5 and 6 are spotted

All of the horizontal container strips are spotted.

Two of the vertical strips are spotted SUL 6 and SUL8

Two of the vertical strips show a band in the center of the strip, 7 & 10

Gradient Results I put together a gradient of all the vertical containers and all the horizontal containers. The darkest vertical strips were found at SUL6, SUL8, SR1.9, SR1.1, SR1.2, SR1.5

The darkest horizontal strips were S.R 1.3, SR1.10, SR1.4 and SR2.7

Many of the dark strips, both vertical and horizontal are spotted, some are not

All of the lighter vertically placed strips show a darker banding though the center of the strip.

Reflection on Results

Spotting on test strip may be from contact with water or sand.

The horizontal and vertical tests are meaningless until they are put right next to each other so results can be compared, this happened at 7 places throughout the experiment.

Containers for future experiments need to be placed at regular intervals around the site, then at regular intervals around that and then and regular intervals around that, ect. If this is done, we can start to understand the difference that direction (wind) makes and that distance from the well makes.

I realize we went into the first experiment without any real hypothesis. Instead, just wanted to play around and see what happened when we put the strips out.

Canister orientation definitely affects the outcome, color of the strips. If this is due to light of air flow, that is unclear.

We need to run a longer experiment, possibly one where everything is doubled and one runs for two weeks and one runs for one month.

It is a good idea to place equally in circles around the well and maybe test further out from well as well. As, placement in the first test did not seem to matter that much.

It would be a good idea to go out with a gas meter capable of reading low quantities of gas, as the meter did not register anything.

Test different containers.

I would like to run a test with copper, but instead of using copper piping as in the Lionel paper, using copper flashing, this way the copper and the photo paper can be tested in the same containers. Thus, it would be a way of evaluating the containers, because the copper could also just be left out in the air.

In comparing my results with that of the Horwell 2005 paper, it appears that the one trait that is consistent with the H2S (aside for in the super saturated areas) is an uneven color distribution??? This could also just be from sand in the containers, I am not sure?


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