Numerical Examination of a Method for Reducing the Temperature of Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Liners

Abstract

A method to control the increase in landfill liner temperature due to the heat generated by the waste is examined. The design involves installation of an array of cooling pipes beneath the waste. The feasibility of this system for cooling the liner was examined by performing a series of analyses for conditions based on the Tokyo Port Landfill. The results suggest that the introduction of a cooling system can substantially reduce liner temperature and consequently significantly increase the service life of a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembrane liner in an engineered barrier system. The effects of pipe layout, pipe spacing, and coolant flow rate are examined. It is shown that a periodic pipe layout is the most efficient. Liner temperature decreases with increased coolant transfer flow rate