scholarly journals Non-Fickian Solute Transport in a Single Fracture of Marble Parallel Plate

Geofluids ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaosan Yan ◽  
Jiazhong Qian ◽  
Lei Ma ◽  
Mu Wang ◽  
Aofeng Hu
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Solute Transport ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Single Fracture ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Monitoring Method ◽  
Subsurface Hydrology ◽  
Advection Dispersion ◽  
The Right

Accurate prediction of solute transport processes in a fracture aquifer is an important task not only for proper management of the groundwater but also for pollution control. A key issue of this task is how to accurately obtain the experimental data and to analyze the solute transport in fracture in subsurface hydrology, which would greatly help us to understand the releasing mechanism and transport of the solute in a fracture. In this study, a fracture experiment is conducted in a laboratory based on previous studies. The fracture used with a length of 60 cm and a width of 10 cm is sealed with glass glue to avoid leakage of tracer due to uneven fracture walls. The sodium chloride (NaCl) solute is injected from the left of the fracture. And an electrical conductivity monitoring system is installed on the right of the fracture. Then breakthrough curves (BTCs) of solute transport are fitted using the classical advection-dispersion equation (ADE) and the truncation power-law function (TPL) model in the package of the continuous time random walk (CTRW). The results show that the flow satisfies non-Darcian law in the experimental conditions, which can be better fitted using the Forchheimer equation and Izbash equation. The solute transport presents non-Fickian phenomena and shows a long tailing. The fitting results of the TPL model are far better than ADE in fitting the long tailing at three different flow velocities. Furthermore, electrical conductivity monitoring method not only is effective but also has an advantage of no disturbance to water and concentration fields in a fracture.

scholarly journals Influence of Clay on Solute Transport in Saturated Homogeneous Mixed Media

Geofluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Albert Kwame Kwaw ◽  
Zhi Dou ◽  
Jinguo Wang ◽  
Yuting Zhang ◽  
Xueyi Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solute Transport ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Clay Fraction ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Single Fracture ◽  
Flowing Fluid ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Advection Dispersion ◽  
Homogeneous Porous Media ◽  
Power Law Exponent

In this study, four homogeneous porous media (HPM1-HPM4), consisting of distinct proportions of sand-sized and clay-sized solid beads, were prepared and used as single fracture infills. Flow and nonreactive solute transport experiments in HPM1-HPM4 under three flow rates were conducted, and the measured breakthrough curves (BTCs) were quantified using conventional advection-dispersion equation (ADE), mobile-immobile model (MIM), and continuous time random walk (CTRW) model with truncated power law transition time distribution. The measured BTCs showed stronger non-Fickian behaviour in HPM2-HPM4 (which had clay) than in HPM1 (which had no clay), implying that clay enhanced the non-Fickian transport. As the fraction of clay increased, the global error of ADE fits also increased, affirming the inefficiency of ADE in capturing the clay-induced non-Fickian behaviour. MIM and CTRW performed better in capturing the non-Fickian behaviour. Nonetheless, CTRW’s performance was robust. 12.5% and 25% of clay in HPM2 and HPM3, respectively, decreased the flowing fluid region and increased the solute exchange rate between the flowing and stagnant fluid regions in MIM. For CTRW, the power law exponent ( β CTRW ) values were 1.96, 1.75, and 1.63 in HPM1-HPM3, respectively, implying enhanced non-Fickian behaviour. However, for HPM4, whose clay fraction was 50%, the β CTRW value was 1.87, implying a deviation in the trend of non-Fickian enhancement with increasing clay fraction. This deviation indicated that non-Fickian behaviour enhancement depended on the fraction of clay present. Moreover, increasing flow rate enhanced the non-Fickian transport based on β CTRW .

scholarly journals Multiscale Roughness Influence on Conservative Solute Transport in Self-affine Fractures

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi Dou ◽  
Brent Sleep ◽  
Hongbin Zhan ◽  
Zhifang Zhou ◽  
Jinguo Wang
Keyword(s):  
Numerical Simulations ◽  
Solute Transport ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Nonlinear Flow ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Single Fracture ◽  
Advection Dispersion ◽  
Flow Features ◽  
Conservative Solute Transport

Abstract. In this article, the influence of multiscale roughness on transport of a conservative solute through a self-affine fracture was investigated. The fracture roughness was decomposed into two different scales (i.e., a small-scale stationary secondary roughness superimposed on a large-scale non-stationary primary roughness) by a wavelet analysis technique. The fluid flow in the single fracture was characterized by Forchheimer's law and exhibited nonlinear flow features such as eddies and tortuous streamlines. The results indicated that the small-scale secondary roughness was primarily responsible for the nonlinear flow features. Numerical simulations of asymptotic conservative solute transport showed non-Fickian transport characteristics (i.e., early arrivals and long tails) in breakthrough curves (BTCs) and in residence time distributions (RTDs) with and without consideration of the secondary roughness. Analysis of multiscale BTCs and RTDs showed that the small-scale secondary roughness played a significant role in enhancing the non-Fickian transport characteristics. Removing small-scale secondary roughness delayed the arrival time and shortened the tail. The peak concentrations in BTCs decreased as the secondary roughness was removed, implying that the secondary roughness could also enhance the solute dilution. Fitting the one-dimensional (1D) Fickian advection-dispersion equation (ADE) to the numerical BTCs resulted in considerable errors that decreased with the small-scale secondary roughness being removed. The 1D mobile-immobile model (MIM) provided a better fit to the numerical BTCs and inclusion of the small-scale secondary roughness in numerical simulations resulted in a decreasing MIM mobile domain fraction and an increasing mass exchange rate between immobile and mobile domains.

The prediction of solute transport in surcharged manholes using CFD

2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.D. Lau ◽  
V.R. Stovin ◽  
I. Guymer
Keyword(s):  
Solute Transport ◽  
Laboratory Data ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Relevant Parameter ◽  
Computationally Efficient ◽  
Engineering Structures ◽  
Advection Dispersion ◽  
Hydraulic Regime ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Discrete Phase

Solute transport processes occur within a wide range of water engineering structures, and urban drainage engineers increasingly rely on modelling tools to represent the transport of dissolved materials. The models take as input representative travel time and dispersion characteristics for key system components, and these generally have to be identified via field or laboratory measurements. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has the potential to reveal the underlying hydraulic processes that control solute transport, and to provide a generic means of identifying relevant parameter values. This paper reports on a study that has been undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of utilising a CFD-based approach to modelling solute transport. Discrete phase modelling has been adopted, as this is computationally efficient and robust when compared with the time-dependent solution of the advection–dispersion equation. Simulation results are compared with published laboratory data characterising the dispersion effects of surcharged manholes, focusing specifically on an 800 mm diameter laboratory manhole for a flowrate of 0.002 m3/s and a range of surcharge depths. Preliminary indications are that the CFD results adequately replicate the measured downstream temporal concentration profiles, and that a threshold surcharge depth, corresponding to a change in hydraulic regime within the manhole, can also be identified.

Experimental Study and Models Comparison for Solute Transport through Riparian Zones

2014 ◽  
Vol 1073-1076 ◽  
pp. 1604-1608
Author(s):  
Zhou Chen ◽  
Jin Guo Wang ◽  
Wen Zhang Zhang ◽  
Jia Hui Shi
Keyword(s):  
Solute Transport ◽  
Riparian Zone ◽  
Tracer Tests ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Advection Dispersion ◽  
Early Arrival ◽  
Models Comparison ◽  
Silt Layer ◽  
Better Than ◽  
Peak Value

Solute transport through riparian zone was studied experimentally and numerically with the consideration of silt layer. The silt layer had markable change on flow field and lead to a significant variation of the breakthrough curves (BTCs). BTCs of solute tracer tests show non-Fickian features as early arrival of peak value and long tailings. BTCs were fitted by advection dispersion equation (ADE), mobile and immobile model (MIM) and the continuous time random walk (CTRW) models. MIM and CTRW can fit BTCs better than ADE and MIM fit better on the capture of the peak value and CTRW fit better in description of the long tailing.

scholarly journals Experimental Research on the Thresholds of Scale-Dependent Dispersivity of Solute Transport

Lithosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (Special 3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruigang Zhang ◽  
Mingxi Chu ◽  
Yong Liu ◽  
Dun Wu ◽  
Wenyong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Solute Transport ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Heterogeneous Porous Media ◽  
Travel Distance ◽  
Asymptotic Model ◽  
Linear Scale ◽  
Advection Dispersion ◽  
Early Arrival

Abstract The conventional advection-dispersion equation (ADE) has been widely used to describe the solute transport in porous media. However, it cannot interpret the phenomena of the early arrival and long tailing in breakthrough curves (BTCs). In this study, we aim to experimentally investigate the behaviors of the solute transport in both homogeneous and heterogeneous porous media. The linear-asymptotic model (LAF solution) with scale-dependent dispersivity was used to fit the BTCs, which was compared with the results of the ADE model and the conventional truncated power-law (TPL) model. Results indicate that (1) the LAF model with linear scale-dependent dispersivity could better capture the evolution of BTCs than the ADE model; (2) dispersivity initially increases linearly with the travel distance and is stable at some limited value over a large distance, and a threshold value of the travel distance is provided to reflect the constant dispersivity; and (3) compared with the TPL model, both the LAF and ADE models can capture the behavior of solute transport as a whole. For fitting the early arrival, the LAF model is less than the TPL; however, the LAF model is more concise in mathematics and its application will be studied in the future.

scholarly journals Comparison of Surface Roughness and Transport Processes of Sawed, Split and Natural Sandstone Fractures

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 2530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sascha Frank ◽  
Thomas Heinze ◽  
Stefan Wohnlich
Keyword(s):  
Surface Roughness ◽  
Tracer Tests ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Natural Fracture ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
Fracture Surfaces ◽  
Advection Dispersion ◽  
Hydraulic Aperture ◽  
Surface Morphologies

In single fractures, dispersion is often linked to the roughness of the fracture surfaces and the resulting local aperture distribution. To experimentally investigate the effects of diverse fracture types and surface morphologies in sandstones, three fractures were considered: those generated by sawing and splitting, and a natural sedimentary fracture. The fracture surface morphologies were digitally analyzed and the hydraulic and transport parameters of the fractures were determined from Darcy and the tracer tests using a fit of a continuous time random walk (CTRW) and a classical advection–dispersion equation (ADE). While the sawed specimen with the smoothest surface had the smallest dispersivity, the natural fracture has the largest dispersivity due to strong anisotropy and non-matching fracture surfaces, although its surface roughness is comparable to the split specimen. The parameterization of the CTRW and of the ADE agree well for β > 4 of the truncated power law. For smaller values of β, non-Fickian transport processes are dominant. Channeling effects are observable in the tracer breakthrough curves. The transport behavior in the fractures is controlled by multiple constraints such as several surface roughness parameters and the equivalent hydraulic aperture.

scholarly journals Preselection of a sorption model based on a column test: the algorithm and an example of its application

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marek Marciniak ◽  
Monika Okońska ◽  
Mariusz Kaczmarek
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Breakthrough Curve ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Column Experiments ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
Sorption Model ◽  
Advection Dispersion ◽  
Conservative Tracer ◽  
Reactive Tracer

AbstractIn order to describe the contamination of saturated porous media, it is necessary to find an appropriate mathematical model that includes processes occurring in aquifers, such as advection, dispersion, diffusion, and various kinds of sorption. The identification of parameters of those processes is possible through laboratory column experiments, which result in records of breakthrough curves for a conservative tracer and a reactive tracer. An algorithm leading to the preliminary selection of the mathematical model that best describes transport processes of the reactive tracer in the experimental column is proposed in this article. A study published previously presented a sensitivity analysis for an arbitrarily adopted variability of the transport parameters. The analysis involved examining changes in the shape of breakthrough curves caused by the alteration of each parameter value. Specially defined indicators called descriptors were proposed to quantitatively describe the breakthrough curves. Then, formulas were proposed to determine the percentage deviations of descriptors of the breakthrough curve obtained for the reactive tracer in relation to the descriptors of the breakthrough curve of the conservative tracer. In the work described in this article, the deviations are analyzed and an algorithm is proposed that allows the preselection of the most suitable sorption model out of the five discussed simple (one-site) and six hybrid (two-site) models. The algorithm can facilitate and accelerate the interpretation of column experiments of contaminant transport in a porous medium. An example is provided to illustrate the usability of the proposed algorithm.

scholarly journals Identification and Estimation of Solute Storage and Release in Karst Water Systems, South China

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (19) ◽  
pp. 7219
Author(s):  
Liang Zhang ◽  
Mingming Luo ◽  
Zhihua Chen
Keyword(s):  
Solute Transport ◽  
Water Level ◽  
Groundwater Remediation ◽  
Tracer Tests ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Karst Water ◽  
Transport Pathways ◽  
Advection Dispersion ◽  
Storage Rate

Solute storage and release in groundwater are key processes in solute transport for groundwater remediation and protection. In karst areas where concentrated recharge conditions exist, pollution incidents can easily occur in springs that are hydraulically connected to densely inhabited karst depressions. The intrinsic heterogeneity common in karst media makes modeling solute transport very difficult with great uncertainty. Meanwhile, it is noteworthy that solute storage and release within subsurface conduits and fissures exhibit strong controlling function on pollutant attenuation during underground floods. Consequently, in this paper, we identified and estimated the solute storage and release processes in karst water systems under concentrated recharge conditions. The methodology uses the advection–dispersion method and field tracer tests to characterize solute transport in different flow paths. Two solute transport pathways were established (i.e., linear pathway (direct transport through karst conduits) and dynamic pathway (flow through fissures)). Advection–dispersion equations were used to fit the breakthrough curves in conduit flow, while the volume of solute storage in fissures were calculated by segmenting the best fitting curves from the total breakthrough curves. The results show that, greater recharge flow or stronger dynamic conditions leads to lower solute storage rate, with the storage rate values less than 10% at high water level conditions. In addition, longer residence time was recorded for solute exchange between conduits and fissures at the low water level condition, thereby contributing to a higher solute storage rate of 26% in the dynamic pathway.

scholarly journals Computing Localized Breakthrough Curves and Velocities of Saline Tracer from Ground Penetrating Radar Monitoring Experiments in Fractured Rock

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (10) ◽  
pp. 2949
Author(s):  
Peter-Lasse Giertzuch ◽  
Alexis Shakas ◽  
Joseph Doetsch ◽  
Bernard Brixel ◽  
Mohammadreza Jalali ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electrical Conductivity ◽  
Ground Penetrating Radar ◽  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Time Lapse ◽  
Test Site ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Flow Path ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Grimsel Test Site ◽  
Ground Penetrating

Solute tracer tests are an established method for the characterization of flow and transport processes in fractured rock. Such tests are often monitored with borehole sensors which offer high temporal sampling and signal to noise ratio, but only limited spatial deployment possibilities. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is sensitive to electromagnetic properties, and can thus be used to monitor the transport behavior of electrically conductive tracers. Since GPR waves can sample large volumes that are practically inaccessible by traditional borehole sensors, they are expected to increase the spatial resolution of tracer experiments. In this manuscript, we describe two approaches to infer quantitative hydrological data from time-lapse borehole reflection GPR experiments with saline tracers in fractured rock. An important prerequisite of our method includes the generation of GPR data difference images. We show how the calculation of difference radar breakthrough curves (DRBTC) allows to retrieve relative electrical conductivity breakthrough curves for theoretically arbitrary locations in the subsurface. For sufficiently small fracture apertures we found the relation between the DRBTC values and the electrical conductivity in the fracture to be quasi-linear. Additionally, we describe a flow path reconstruction procedure that allows computing approximate flow path distances using reflection GPR data from at least two boreholes. From the temporal information during the time-lapse GPR surveys, we are finally able to calculate flow-path averaged tracer velocities. Our new methods were applied to a field data set that was acquired at the Grimsel Test Site in Switzerland. DRBTCs were successfully calculated for previously inaccessible locations in the experimental rock volume and the flow path averaged velocity field was found to be in good accordance with previous studies at the Grimsel Test Site.

scholarly journals Solute Transport through a Pine Bark-based Substrate under Saturated and Unsaturated Conditions

2014 ◽  
Vol 139 (6) ◽  
pp. 634-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tyler C. Hoskins ◽  
James S. Owen ◽  
Jeb S. Fields ◽  
James E. Altland ◽  
Zachary M. Easton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solute Transport ◽  
Relative Concentration ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Transport Processes ◽  
Pine Bark ◽  
Mineral Nutrient ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Container Nurseries ◽  
Mineral Soils ◽  
Horticultural Research

An understanding of how dissolved mineral nutrient ions (solutes) move through pine bark substrates during the application of irrigation water is vital to better understand nutrient transport and leaching from containerized crops during an irrigation event. However, current theories on solute transport processes in soilless systems are largely based on research in mineral soils and thus do not necessarily explain solute transport in soilless substrates. A study was conducted to characterize solute transport through a 9 pine bark:1 sand (by volume) substrate by developing and analyzing breakthrough curves (BTCs). Columns filled with pine bark substrate were subjected to the application of a nutrient solution (tracer) and deionized water under saturated and unsaturated conditions. Effluent drained from the columns during these applications was collected and analyzed to determine the effluent concentration (C) of the bulk ions in solution through electrical conductivity (EC) and nitrate (NO3–), phosphate, and potassium (K+) concentrations. The BTCs were developed by plotting C relative to the concentration of the input solution (Co) (i.e., relative concentration = C/Co) as a function of the cumulative effluent volume. Solutes broke through the column earlier (i.e., with less cumulative effluent) and the transition from C/Co = 0 to 1 occurred more abruptly under unsaturated than saturated conditions. Movement of the anion, NO3–, through the substrate was observed to occur more quickly than the cation K+. Throughout the experiment, 37% of the applied K+ was retained by the pine bark. The adsorption of K+ to pine bark cation exchange sites displaced calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+), of which the combined equivalent charge accounted for 43.1% of the retained K+. These results demonstrate the relative ease that negatively charged fertilizer ions could move through a pine bark substrate while solution is actively flowing through substrate pores such as during irrigation events. This approach to evaluating solute transport may be used in horticultural research to better understand how mineral nutrients move through and subsequently leach from soilless substrates during irrigation. Expanding this knowledge base may lead to the refinement of production practices that improve nutrient and water use efficiency in container nurseries.

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