Noble gases have been used for oil field exploration due to their partitioning behavior in oil–water systems. However, their application to study sites contaminated with non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPL) has been limited, except for ²²²Rn, which has been traditionally used as a partitioning tracer for contaminated sites. This study applied natural noble gas components such as ²²²Rn, He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe to the characterization of a field site contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) located in Wonju, Korea. Groundwater at the site showed a maximum level of TCE that exceeded 1000 μg/L, with an approximate average of 400 μg/L, indicating the presence of residual TCE in the subsurface system even after remediation. The traditional tracer (i.e., ²²²Rn) was first used to characterize residual TCE. However, its heterogeneous distribution throughout the fractured bedrock aquifer negated its usefulness as a TCE indicator. The use of radiogenic ⁴He was also limited by the wide distribution of radiogenic sources on the site. By contrast, changes in the TCE level had clear effects on the conditions of other noble gases, such as Ne, Ar, and Xe, making them useful for characterization of the TCE-contaminated site. Furthermore, calculation of the TCE/water ratio including residual TCE was achieved, but identification of the TCE originating from the vadose zone was relatively hard. The results of this study indicate that based on their partitioning behavior, naturally-occurring noble gases can be used to delineate and quantify residual TCE.

稀有气体由于在油水系统中的分配行为而被用于油田勘探。但是，除了²²² Rn（传统上用作污染场地的分隔示踪剂）外，它们在受非水相液体（NAPL）污染的研究场地中的应用受到了限制。这项研究将天然稀有气体成分（如²²² Rn，He，Ne，Ar，Kr和Xe）应用于位于韩国原州市的三氯乙烯（TCE）污染的现场。该地点的地下水显示出的三氯乙烯的最高含量超过了1000微克/升，平均约为400微克/升，这表明即使在修复后，地下系统中仍存在残留的三氯乙烯。传统示踪剂（即²²²Rn）首先用于表征残留的TCE。但是，它在整个裂隙基岩含水层中的分布不均，使其作为TCE指标的用处不大。放射源⁴ He的使用还受到现场放射源来源广泛分布的限制。相比之下，TCE含量的变化对其他稀有气体（如Ne，Ar和Xe）的条件具有明显的影响，使其对于表征受TCE污染的位点非常有用。此外，虽然可以计算出包括残留TCE在内的TCE /水比，但要确定源自渗流带的TCE却相对困难。这项研究的结果表明，基于它们的分配行为，天然存在的稀有气体可用于描绘和量化残留的三氯乙烯。