Solute transport in dual conduit structure: experiment and modelling

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chaoqi Wang ◽  
Xiaoguang Wang ◽  
Samer Majdalani ◽  
Vincent Guinot ◽  
Hervé Jourde
Keyword(s):  
Solute Transport ◽  
Peak Concentration ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Tracer Tests ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
Length Ratio ◽  
Tracer Transport ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
Total Length

<p>An important phenomenon often encountered when interpreting tracer tests in karst aquifers is the occurrence of dual-peaked breakthrough curves (BTCs). The dual-peaked BTCs are usually attributed to tracer transport through a conduit system consisting of a dual-conduit structure: an auxiliary conduit that deviates from the main conduit at the upstream and converges back at the downstream. In order to understand how the geometric configuration of the dual-conduit structure influences the BTCs, laboratory experiments utilizing plastic tubes were conducted. The physical models were constructed by varying: 1) the total length of the conduits, while fixing the length ratio; 2) length ratio between the two conduits, while fixing the length of the main conduit; and 3) conduits connection angle. The tracer experiments are then fitted by a Multi-Region Advection Dispersion model and a Transfer Function model to derive effective transport parameters. This allows us to quantitatively compare the experimental results, and thus to analyse the conduit geometry effects on solute transport and to compare the performance of the two models.</p><p>Results show that the dual-conduit structure causes the double peaks of BTCs. Keeping the length ratio of the two conduits and increasing their total length leads to a larger separation of the two peaks of the BTCs. Keeping the length of main conduit while increasing the length of the secondary conduit causes similar effects. As (θ<sub>1</sub>-θ<sub>2</sub>) increases, the first peak concentration value decreases, the second peak concentration value increases.</p><p><strong>Keywords</strong>: karst, lab experiment, dual-peaked BTCs, modelling</p>

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 Study on Movement of Water and Salt through Soil Column and Utilization of Hydrus-1D Program to Simulate Five Scenarios of Crop Production in Salt Affected Paddy Soil

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Panom Chaiyasit ◽  
Piya Duangpatra ◽  
Visoot Verasan ◽  
Varawoot Vudhivanich
Keyword(s):  
Solute Transport ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Paddy Soil ◽  
Mung Bean ◽  
Soil Column ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Pedotransfer Functions ◽  
Hydraulic Parameters ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
Hydrus 1D

<p class="zhengwen"><span lang="EN-GB">An experiment was conducted on the purpose to study movement of water and salt through soil column. Salt-affected paddy soil was assessed for its relevant transport parameters consisting of the hydraulic and the solute transport parameters. The hydraulic parameters included soil hydraulic conductivity (K<sub>s</sub>) and the van Genuchten’s parameters (θ<sub>s</sub>, θ<sub>r</sub>, α, and n). In this experiment the solute transport parameters was referred to the coefficient of Langmuir’s isotherm which consisted of k<sub>d</sub> and η. Experience showed that hydraulic parameters were sensitive to changes of soil bulk density (ρ<sub>b</sub>). Therefore pedotransfer functions describing the relations between these parameters with ρ<sub>b</sub> were established. Straight line functions were found for θ<sub>s</sub> and n, exponential functions were found for α and K<sub>s</sub>, and logarithmic function was found for θ<sub>r</sub>. Packing the soil in the physical column inevitably caused horizontal differentiation of different ρ<sub>b</sub>. Bulk density of each layer was estimated by analysis of water flow through soil column at steady-state. Then ρ<sub>b</sub> of each layer was calculated from the relation K<sub>s</sub> (ρ<sub>b</sub>). After the ρ<sub>b</sub> was known the van Genuchten’s parameters were calculated from the pedotransfer functions. A physical column of 4 inches diameter and 50 cm length was constructed. Sodium chloride solution EC 6 dS/m was fed on soil surface during the process of salinization and the feeding solution was changed to fresh water during the process of desalinization. Breakthrough solution was analyzed for Na concentration and the breakthrough curves were constructed. The relevant parameters as well as initial and boundary conditions were fed into Hydrus-1D on the purpose to simulate the breakthrough curves. Statistical comparison results using t-test and RMSE suggested that Hydrus-1D could be used successfully to monitor transport of water and salt through soil column.</span></p><p class="zhengwen"><span lang="EN-GB">Five scenarios concerning water and solute transport through soil profile under rice and mung bean cropping were simulated using Hydrus-1D. Simulation results suggested that continuous flooding was the most efficient way to leach soluble salts down to ground water. Wet/dry irrigation scheme for rice production could drain salts only when rice crop was in the first period of growth where crop water uptake was small. During later stages of growth concentration profile of Na remained almost unchange indicating negligible downward movement of salts. Leaving the soil to dry naturally during the dry season caused upward accumulation of salt to the degree smaller than cultivating mung bean since water content and hence the diffusion coefficient of the soil were higher and more favorable for upward salt diffusion than in the former case. Inserting the capillary rise hindering soil layer underneath mung bean root zone was found to retard upward diffusion of salt to the degree comparable to leaving the soil to dry naturally.</span></p>

A time-space Hausdorff derivative model for anomalous transport in porous media

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 1517-1536 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingjie Liang ◽  
Ninghu Su ◽  
Wen Chen
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Solute Transport ◽  
Water Flow ◽  
Dispersion Model ◽  
Mathematical Formulation ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Flow In Porous Media ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Time Space ◽  
Constant Diffusion

Abstract This paper presents a time-space Hausdorff derivative model for depicting solute transport in aquifers or water flow in heterogeneous porous media. In this model, the time and space Hausdorff derivatives are defined on non-Euclidean fractal metrics with power law scaling transform which, respectively, connect the temporal and spatial complexity during transport. The Hausdorff derivative model can be transformed to an advection-dispersion equation with time- and space-dependent dispersion and convection coefficients. This model is a fractal partial differential equation (PDE) defined on a fractal space and differs from the fractional PDE which is derived for non-local transport of particles on a non-fractal Euclidean space. As an example of applications of this model, an explicit solution with a constant diffusion coefficient and flow velocity subject to an instantaneous source is derived and fitted to the breakthrough curves of tritium as a tracer in porous media. These results are compared with those of a scale-dependent dispersion model and a time-scale dependent dispersion model. Overall, it is found that the fractal PDE based on the Hausdorff derivatives better captures the early arrival and heavy tail in the scaled breakthrough curves for variable transport distances. The estimated parameters in the fractal Hausrdorff model represent clear mechanisms such as linear relationships between the orders of Hausdorff derivatives and the transport distance. The mathematical formulation is applicable to both solute transport and water flow in porous media.

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 On the reliability of analytical models to predict solute transport in a fracture network

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 2359-2374 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Cherubini ◽  
C. I. Giasi ◽  
N. Pastore
Keyword(s):  
Solute Transport ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Early Time ◽  
Taylor Dispersion ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Nonlinear Flow ◽  
Analytical Models ◽  
Late Time ◽  
Tracer Transport

Abstract. In hydrogeology, the application of reliable tracer transport model approaches is a key issue to derive the hydrodynamic properties of aquifers. Laboratory- and field-scale tracer dispersion breakthrough curves (BTC) in fractured media are notorious for exhibiting early time arrivals and late time tailing that are not captured by the classical advection–dispersion equation (ADE). These "non-Fickian" features are proven to be better explained by a mobile–immobile (MIM) approach. In this conceptualization the fractured rock system is schematized as a continuous medium in which the liquid phase is separated into flowing and stagnant regions. The present study compares the performances and reliabilities of the classical MIM and the explicit network model (ENM), taking expressly into account the network geometry for describing tracer transport behavior in a fractured sample at bench scale. Though ENM shows better fitting results than MIM, the latter remains still valid as it proves to describe the observed curves quite well. The results show that the presence of nonlinear flow plays an important role in the behavior of solute transport. First, the distribution of solute according to different pathways is not constant, but it is related to the flow rate. Second, nonlinear flow influences advection in that it leads to a delay in solute transport respect to the linear flow assumption. However, nonlinear flow is not shown to be related with dispersion. The experimental results show that in the study case the geometrical dispersion dominates the Taylor dispersion. However, the interpretation with the ENM shows a weak transitional regime from geometrical dispersion to Taylor dispersion for high flow rates. Incorporating the description of the flow paths in the analytical modeling has proven to better fit the curves and to give a more robust interpretation of the solute transport.

scholarly journals Spatially resolved information on karst conduit flow from in-cave dye tracing

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 435-445 ◽  
Author(s):  
U. Lauber ◽  
W. Ufrecht ◽  
N. Goldscheider
Keyword(s):  
Land Surface ◽  
Karst Aquifer ◽  
Tracer Tests ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
Mean Flow ◽  
Dye Tracing ◽  
Flow And Transport ◽  
Spatially Resolved ◽  
Order Of Magnitude

Abstract. Artificial tracers are powerful tools for investigating karst systems. Tracers are commonly injected into sinking streams or dolines, while springs serve as monitoring sites. The obtained flow and transport parameters represent mixed information from the vadose, epiphreatic and phreatic zones (that is, the aquifer remains a black box). Accessible active caves constitute valuable but underexploited natural laboratories to gain detailed insights into the hydrologic functioning of the aquifer. Two multi-tracer tests in the catchment of a major karst spring (Blautopf, Germany) with injections and monitoring in two associated water caves aimed at obtaining spatially and temporally resolved information on groundwater flow in different compartments of the system. Two tracers were injected into the caves to characterize the hydraulic connections between them and with the spring. Two injections at the land surface, far from the spring, aimed at resolving the aquifer's internal drainage structure. Tracer breakthrough curves were monitored by field fluorimeters in caves and at the spring. Results demonstrate the dendritic drainage structure of the aquifer. It was possible to obtain relevant flow and transport parameters for different sections of this system. The highest mean flow velocities (275 m h−1) were observed in the near-spring epiphreatic section (open-channel flow), while velocities in the phreatic zone (pressurized flow) were one order of magnitude lower. Determined conduit water volumes confirm results of water balances and hydrograph analyses. In conclusion, experiments and monitoring in caves can deliver spatially resolved information on karst aquifer heterogeneity and dynamics that cannot be obtained by traditional investigative methods.

Analysis of partial breakthrough data by a transfer-function method

Soil Research ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 175 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Mojid ◽  
D. A. Rose ◽  
G. C. L. Wyseure
Keyword(s):  
Transfer Function ◽  
Solute Transport ◽  
Calcium Chloride ◽  
Unsaturated Soils ◽  
Function Method ◽  
Sandy Loam ◽  
Breakthrough Curves ◽  
Time Domain Reflectometry ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
Transfer Function Method

A transfer-function method has been applied to determine solute-transport parameters from earlier sections of complete breakthrough data. Time-domain reflectometry allows the measurement of breakthrough data in unsaturated soil. In fine-textured soils, the flow of water must be kept low to maintain unsaturated conditions, and so experiments for a complete breakthrough of solute may last a very long time. Substantial savings of time and computer memory might be achieved if data could be analysed from an earlier section of breakthrough data. Data at 2 vertical positions (input at upper and response at lower position) from a complete breakthrough of calcium chloride applied as a pulse input to 4 unsaturated soils (coarse sand, sandy loam, clay loam, clay) were divided into 4 sets of increasing duration. Transport parameters of calcium chloride were determined by a transfer function, which results in similar values of the parameters from the last 3 datasets in all 4 soils. In the clay soil, however, because of erroneous breakthrough data the fit between the measured and estimated breakthrough curves (BTCs) was poor, but the transport parameters were consistent among different segments of data. We show that it is possible to determine successfully solute-transport parameters from partial breakthrough data, which include the peak of the response BTC. This transfer-function method is thus a powerful tool to shorten breakthrough experiments.

scholarly journals Estimation of the mass transport parameters of aquifers according to data from field tests with a pulse or a continuous source and an arbitrary location of the observation well

2021 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-82
Author(s):  
Nikolay Stoyanov
Keyword(s):  
Mass Transport ◽  
Tracer Tests ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Tracer Transport ◽  
Transport Parameters ◽  
Observation Well ◽  
Detection And Identification ◽  
Marquardt Algorithm ◽  
Longitudinal Dispersivity ◽  
Continuous Source

An identification method for determining the aquifer’s mass transport parameters is proposed, based on data from field tracer tests with a pulse or a continuous source and an arbitrary position of the observation well in respect to the tracer entry point. The method is also applicable in the presence of a representative set of data on changes in the concentration of pollutants at different points in the aquifer around a short-term (instantaneous) or a continuous surface or underground source. The identification procedure is based on the automated comparison of the observations data with a series of theoretical curves by varying the required parameters in order to achieve maximum compliance. The tracer transport is represented by analytical solutions of the partial differential equation for mass transfer in a homogeneous and isotropic two-dimensional porous media. The developed computer programs include numerical optimization using the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm. Results from tests performed in order to assess reliability and errors of detection and identification are presented. Using the programs, the mass transport parameters: active porosity n0, effective (sorption) porosity nS, longitudinal dispersivity αL, transverse dispersivity αT and rate constant γ can be determined.

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