Experimental Data Base for the Evaluation of Theories for UpScaling in Modeling of Groundwater Flow, Solute Transport and Multiphase Fluid Flow in Aquifers

摘要

SUMMARY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS Our investigation focused on a few selected fundamental processes. The underlying groundwater flow and transport properties at a given contamination site are common to a wide range of chemical and chemical mixtures. Thus, issues related to up-scaling arise in modeling transport and transformation of any contaminant. Rather than focus on many contaminants, our study has focused on fundamental processes that can be investigated with a high degree of precision and control in our intermediate- scale experiments. The understanding of up-scaling issues gained from our study can be abstracted for application to a wider range of contaminants. Our study provides a valuable database for validation of up-scaling theories and understanding the complexities of entrapment of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in heterogeneous media. The specific issues addressed in our investigation are: 1. Entrapment of NAPLs in heterogeneous formations, sensitivity of solute transport to entrapped NAPLs and prospects for detecting NAPL spills using tracer tests. 2. Solute transport in heterogeneous porous media, including the behavior under radial flow conditions. 3. Adsorption of dissolved chemicals in chemically heterogeneous aquifers.