Design of Moisture Control Systems Using Intelligent Single Well EO Dewatering Systems

Preventing water intrusion into basements, bunkers and other sub-grade structures has always an engineering challenge.  During periods of heavy rainfall or snow runoff, the water table rises and water can seep through the concrete walls and floors of basements, damaging or destroying building contents, corroding metal fixtures and equipment, and rotting wood. Furthermore, wet basements and other underground structures provide favorable environments for the rapid growth of mold and mildew, producing poor air quality that presents a health hazard for personnel working in these confined spaces. Normally a system involving drains at the foundation would be considered; but in the case of historic buildings, the structure must be preserved in its original condition without altering the foundation.

To address these problems, Army researchers have developed new dewatering points that are external to the structure and can be used in both existing and new construction. Each soil dewatering well is a separate unit that uses a controller and a casing equipped with an electro-osmotic pulse (EOP) array that has been designed to act independently on the soil moisture volume adjacent to the well.  The self-contained design minimizes any eddy currents that might interfere with electronics in the protected structure.  A demonstration program using this new technology is being designed for installation at the Emperor Hirohito Air Raid Bunker, Camp Zama, Japan.  The design calls for dewatering wells and monitoring wells that will allow each unit to be optimally used to maintain the water table at a level below the bunker and thus prevent corrosion of hardware from water entering the structure due to hydraulic pressure.