UNDERSTANDING ISOTHERMAL AND NONISOTHERMAL FLOW IN PARTIALLY SATURATED FRACTURED POROUS MEDIA THROUGH FIELD TESTS AND MODELING

摘要

Field tests and model analyses are complementary approaches to improve our knowledge of site characteristics and our understanding of governing processes. The understanding of field measurements and observations can be enriched through formulation of proper models. Models can either be simple, for deriving hydrological parameter distributions, or detailed and numerical, for evaluating complex coupled processes. Lessons learned from studies in underground drifts in partially saturated fractured porous media are presented in this paper. Different approaches to field testing can be adopted, depending on how much is known about a particular site and what the specific objectives of the field investigation are. When great uncertainty exists pertaining to the hydrological attributes of a site, and when spatial heterogeneity dictates that the hydro-logical characteristics at one location are not representative of the entire site, then running "identical" and relatively simple tests at numerous locations may be required. This method of repetitive testing in multiple locations is described as a "systematic" approach to testing; it complements the more commonly practiced "feature-based" testing in which a test location is selected because of the special geological and hydrological features it exhibits. Such features may not be pervasive over the region of interest.