Estimation of contaminant transport parameters for a tropical sand in a sand tank model

This research describes the goals, design and implementation of a quasi natural gradient, laboratory scale, sand tank (aquifer) model experiment. The model was used to study the transport of an inorganic tracer (Chloride) in groundwater, within a tropical aquifer (porous medium) material. Three-dimensional sand tank (1.8 m × 0.3 m × 0.8 m) experiments were conducted to investigate contaminant transport and natural attenuation within the sand tank. In all, 360 samples were collected during 24 sampling sessions, for the three days of the tracer experiments in the Sand Tank. The Owena sand is a poorly graded sand with 88.1 % sand and 11.9 % gravel. Geotechnical properties including; coefficient of uniformity C_u = 2.53, coefficient of gradation C_z = 0.181, hydraulic conductivity K = 5.76 × 10^?4 m/s, bulk density p = 1.9 Mg/m³, effective porosity n_e = 0.215 and median grain diameter D₅₀ = 0.55 mm, were determined. Other relevant hydraulic and solute transport parameters, such as dispersion coefficients and dispersivities were also established for the tropical soil.     

Fate and transport of ethanol-blended dissolved BTEX hydrocarbons: a quantitative tracing study of a sand tank experiment

To estimate the behavior of ethanol-blended dissolved BTEX hydrocarbons in groundwater, a quantitative tracing study instead of qualitative analysis was carried out by using a large sand tank, into which 2-L solution including bromide, ethanol and dissolved BTEX was injected under a controlled hydraulic condition. Mean residence time (MRT), pore volume swept by solute (V _p), retardation coefficient (R) and biodegradation rate constant (k) of injected solutes were estimated. Compared with bromide that was used as a conservative tracer, ethanol and BTEX had shorter MRT and smaller V _p with the sequence of EtOH < T < E < m/p-X < o-X < B < Br. Biodegradation was confirmed as evidenced by the consumptions of dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate and sulfate, and the production of acetate. The sequence of k as EtOH > T > E > m/p-X > o-X > B was just opposite to the sequences of MRT and V _p. The relationship among above sequences implies that MRT and V _p can be used as indicators to assess in situ biodegradability of a solute. Biodegradation of a reactive solute can make its MRT shortened and V _p shrunk. In addition, the sorption of ethanol could be neglected (R = 1.0), whereas BTEX compounds were adsorbed (R = 1.04–1.15). It should be noted that biodegradation of a solute can affect the estimation of its retardation coefficient. To our knowledge, this paper provides an available route to quantitatively estimate biodegradability of a solute in groundwater.     

砂箱模型模拟休耕田区以砂桩补注地下水对溶质传输影响

水田在休耕期间蓄水,除了可维持水田原有之生态机能外,亦可增加土壤水分涵养与补注地下水.利用砂箱来模拟休耕田区中打入砂桩以补注地下水时,砂桩存在对灌溉水中之溶质在土壤中传输之影响.由试验结果得知当砂桩贯穿牛踏层时可增加水分入渗速率约40倍,相对的,砂桩亦加速溶质在不同土壤层间之传输速率,尤其在牛踏层下方之土壤为砂层时,其影响更为显著.因此,蓄水过程中需注意水源之品质,以避免土壤与地下水受污染.     

河流型水库垂向二维水沙数学模型

在垂向二维水动力模型的基础上,叠加了泥沙模型,建立了垂向二维泥沙模型,该模型的主要特点是水动力模型采用斜压模式,可以模拟由于水库水温度分布时空变化对其水动力结构及泥沙沉降速度的影响;泥沙模型采用分步法求解,简化了计算;独立求解粘性泥沙及非粘性泥沙的沉降速度及水土界面交换通量;运用经验公式估算泥沙及水动力模型参数,弥补了资料不足的缺点。最后运用实测资料对所建泥沙模型进行了有效性验证,结果表明:悬沙模拟值与实测值相对误差较小,时空分布特征相似;同时,模型能较为准确反映由于水库出入流引起的库首与库尾水温及泥沙分布特征。     

Fate and transport of metals in H2S-rich waters at a treatment wetland

The aqueous geochemistry of Zn, Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn and As is discussed within the context of an anaerobic treatment wetland in Butte, Montana. The water being treated had a circum-neutral pH with high concentrations of trace metals and sulfate. Reducing conditions in the wetland substrate promoted bacterial sulfate reduction (BSR) and precipitation of dissolved metal as sulfide minerals. ZnS was the most common sulfide phase found, and consisted of framboidal clusters of individual spheres with diameters in the submicron range. Some of the ZnS particles passed through the subsurface flow, anaerobic cells in suspended form. The concentration of "dissolved" trace metals (passing through a 0.45 μm filter) was monitored as a function of H₂S concentration, and compared to predicted solubilities based on experimental studies of aqueous metal complexation with dissolved sulfide. Whereas the theoretical predictions produce "U-shaped" solubility curves as a function of H₂S, the field data show a flat dependence of metal concentration on H₂S. Observed metal concentrations for Zn, Cu and Cd were greater than the predicted values, particularly at low H₂S concentration, whereas Mn and As were undersaturated with their respective metal sulfides. Results from this study show that water treatment facilities employing BSR have the potential to mobilize arsenic out of mineral substrates at levels that may exceed regulatory criteria. Dissolved iron was close to equilibrium saturation with amorphous FeS at the higher range of sulfide concentrations observed (>0.1 mmol H₂S), but was more likely constrained by goethite at lower H₂S levels. Inconsistencies between our field results and theoretical predictions may be due to several problems, including: (i) a lack of understanding of the form, valence, and thermodynamic stability of poorly crystalline metal sulfide precipitates; (ii) the possible influence of metal sulfide colloids imparting an erroneously high "dissolved" metal concentration; (iii) inaccurate or incomplete thermodynamic data for aqueous metal complexes at the conditions of the treatment facility; and (iv) difficulties in accurately measuring low concentrations of dissolved sulfide in the field.     

Faster 2-D representation of geotechnical characteristics using MASW method

This paper presents how faster two dimensional (2-D) tomography of soil layers is obtained in geotechnical characteristics through multi-channel analysis of surface wave (MASW) method. MASW is developed as a new technique incorporating multiple receivers and 2-D wave-field transformations to obtain better performance in surface wave analysis. Incorporating 2-D tomography technique with multi-channel analysis offers an efficient and cost effective technique in soil site investigations. In the previous research, the Geo-SW@T software was designed and developed with collecting a lot of records including programming array technique to show the 2-D tomography in near surface soil profiling. To make a 2-D tomography of soil profile based on the past planned MASW technique is time consuming for collecting large database through 2-D array of programming language. In this paper, a new idea is established to obtain faster performance in soil tomography profile using array and sub-array technique in MASW. The performance of newly developed tomography technique with MASW method is estimated as faster and important tomography system for using one single record in soil characterizations rather than arranging of multiple records.     

TDR detection of nonaqueous phase liquids in sandy soils using the eigendecomposition method

In this study, the presence of nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPL) in sandy soils are detected using a TDR probe system and the eigendecomposition method of analysis. As a demonstration, five NAPLs with different physicochemical properties (acetone, benzene, heptane, trichloroethylene, and xylene; Table 1) were used. Samples were prepared in such a way that the soil pore fluid has different contents of deionized water and NAPLs. For each experiment, a pulse signal with known characteristics was used and reflected signals were captured by an oscilloscope and analyzed using the eigendecomposition method. Autoregressive modeling and singular value decomposition were used to calculate the eigenvalues. The most significant eigenvalues were identified based on their power spectrum. The relative eigenvalue of the first mode (Eow), which is a measure of the power carried by the signal, was calculated and correlated to NAPL type and content, and octanol water partition coefficient (log Kow). The results indicated that for the same NAPL content, as log Kow increases, Eow decreases due to increase of hydrophobicity. For the same log Kow, as the organic content in soil pore fluid increases, Eow increases due to decrease of dielectric properties of the pore fluids.     

High-pH plume from low-alkali-cement fracture grouting: Reactive transport modeling and comparison with pH monitoring at ONKALO (Finland)

Grouting of water-conducting fractures with low-alkali cement is foreseen for the potential future repository for spent nuclear fuel in Finland (ONKALO site). A possible consequence is the formation of high-pH solutions which will be able to react with the host rock. Calculations have been performed including the hydration and simultaneous leaching of the grout. The effect of different possible groundwater compositions has been studied. The results show that after grouting, the duration of the initial high-pH peak is short (<0.5 a), which compares well with observations at a test borehole. Magnesium in the groundwater induces the precipitation of brucite at the grout–fracture interface, which consumes OH⁻. In the longer term, the results show a gradually decaying pH tail (pH < 9) controlled by the precipitation of calcite at the grout–fracture interface. The duration of this tail correlates inversely with the carbonate content of the inflowing groundwater.     

Limitation of using heat as a groundwater tracer to define aquifer properties: experiment in a large tank model

The implementation of the EU-Water Framework Directive (WFD) might also be considered an approach for the implementation of Integrated Water Resources Management in Europe. The WFD outlines the ambitious goal of attaining “good status” for Europe’s rivers, lakes, groundwater bodies and coastal waters by 2015 in accordance with clearly defined time lines and legally binding programmes of measures. EU member states submitted their WFD river basin management plans to the European Commission in March 2010. Almost all member states accomplished the formal implementation, but nations like Germany are far from achieving the “good status”. For Germany, exemptions have been claimed for 82 % of all surface water bodies and for 36 % of all groundwater bodies. According to the identified significant pressures and impacts, the German Federal States, the Federal government and the European Union will have to significantly increase the coordination and coherence of the policies in the field of agriculture, energy generation, transport (shipping) and production or use of chemicals. The next generation of river basin management plans may be used for the harmonisation of these topics and extend to the polluter-specific characterization of water body pressures and impacts, structures and methods of monitoring, allowing the differentiation of multiple stressors, the designation of heavily modified water bodies and the determination of good ecological potential, exemptions and their justification, coherent transregional management objectives and reporting issues. The present study focuses on the assessment of the status of German water bodies, the achievement of environmental objectives and the necessary measures required to meet the goals.     

Investigation of monotonic and cyclic behavior of sand using a bounding surface plasticity model

Developing the pore water pressures in loose to medium sands below the water table may lead to liquefaction during earthquakes. The simulation of liquefaction (cyclic mobility and flow liquefaction) in sandy soils is one of the major challenges in constitutive modeling of soils. This paper presents the simulation of sand behavior using a critical state bounding surface plasticity model (Dafalias and Manzari’s model, 2004) during monotonic and cyclic loading. The drained, undrained, and cyclic triaxial tests were simulated using Dafalias and Manzari’s model. The simulation results showed that the model predicts behavior of sand, reasonably well. Also, for CSR?<?0.2, number of cycles for liquefaction is significantly increased. The residual strength of Babolsar sand is produced when it is deformed to an axial strain of 20 to 25%.     

A wind tunnel study of aeolian sand transport on a wetted sand surface using sands from tropical humid coastal southern China

This article reported a wind tunnel test of sediment transport related to surface moisture content and wind velocity using sands from tropical humid coastal area. A 1 mm-thick portion of surface sand was scraped using a self-made sediment sampler, and the gravimetric moisture content was determined. Sand transport was measured via a standard vertical sand trap with a 60 cm height. The result shows that the sand transport profile above the wet surface can be expressed with an exponential equation. In general, the influence of moisture content on sand transport profile mainly focuses on the bottom of the blowing sand cloud. Meanwhile, with moisture content increased, total sand transport dropped, and a relatively larger proportion is transported at greater heights. The vertical movement of particles on higher moisture surface (0.587% < M < 1.448%) is more sensitive to moisture content variation as compared to those on low wet surface (M < 0.587%), total sand transport rate tends to be rather low (0.99 g cm⁻¹ s⁻¹) when M > 1.448%. The total sand transport rate varying with moisture content is divided into three regions of differing gradient at the moisture contents of 0.587 and 1.448%. The gradient of the curve reflected the different influences of the various water forms in surface sediments. The higher moisture surface (M > 1.448%) merely functions as a transport plain for the saltation material. Surface moisture content was the dominant control factor for saltation activity between the moisture contents of 0.587 and 1.448%, wind velocity could resume control saltation after the surface dried to the extent (M < 0.587%).     

Delaunay方法的改进及其在地下水污染监测网设计中的应用

地下水污染监测网的设计包括取样点在空间上的采样位置和时间上的取样频率这两方面的确定,其目的是为了准确刻画污染羽在含水层中随时间的变化状况。介绍了一种新的基于Delaunay三角形剖分方法用于地下水污染监测网在空间上的去冗余设计。同时,针对Delaunay方法没有考虑含水层参数变化和不能新增必要监测点的缺陷,提出了改进措施。改进的Delaunay方法可以直接与污染物的运移模型耦合,通过获取的含水层参数能够比较好地检验监测网在空间上的去冗余设计效果。实例研究表明,该方法在保证监测精度的基础上,能够找到最优的空间取样位置点,同时与改进前相比,利用该方法得到的地下水污染监测网能更加客观地反映污染物在含水层中的空间分布特征。     

Reactive transport of gentisic acid in a hematite-coated sand column: Experimental study and modeling

The adsorption of gentisic acid (GA) by hematite nano-particles was examined under static and dynamic conditions by conducting batch and column tests. To simulate natural sediments, the iron oxide was deposited on 10 μm quartz particles. The GA adsorption was described by a surface complexation model fitted to pH-adsorption curves with GA concentrations of 0.1-1 mM in a pH range of 3-10. The surface was described with one type of site (FeOH°), while gentisic acid at the surface was described by two surface complexes (FeLH₂°, log K_int = 8.9 and FeLH⁻, log K_int = −8.2). Modeling was conducted with PHREEQC-2 using the MINTEQ database. From a kinetic point of view, the intrinsic chemical reactions were likely to be the rate-limiting step of sorption (∼10⁻³ s⁻¹) while external and internal mass transfer rates (∼10² s⁻¹) were much faster. Under flow through conditions (column), adsorption of GA to hematite-coated sand was about 7-times lower than under turbulent mixing (batch). This difference could not be explained by chemical adsorption kinetics as shown by test calculations run with HYDRUS-1D software. Surface complexation model simulations however successfully described the data when the surface area was adjusted, suggesting that under flow conditions the accessibility to the reactive surface sites was reduced. The exact mechanism responsible for the increased mobility of GA could not be determined but some parameters suggested that decreased external mass transfer between solution and surface may play a significant role under flow through conditions.     

Numerical simulation of a tunnel surrounded by sand under earthquake using a hypoplastic model

A numerical model of a centrifuge experiment on tunnel located in sand is being presented. The experiment was carried out under seismic loading using a dynamic actuator. The responses of the tunnel and of the sand were measured. The numerical model is based on a hypoplastic constitutive model with intergranular strains implemented in the FE-code TOCHNOG. The calculated accelerations in the sand match the measured results, while the surface settlement and the bending moments in the tunnel lining are only qualitatively reproduced by the numerical model.     

Transport in a 2-D saturated porous medium: A new method for particle tracking

A new method for solving the transport equation based on the management of a large numbe of particles in a discretized 2-D domain is presented. The method uses numerical variables to represent the number of particles in a given mesh and is more complex than the 1-D problem. The first part of the paper focuses on the specific management of particles in a 2-D problem. The method also would be valid for three dimensions as long as the medium can be modeled similar to a layered system. As the particles are no longer tracked individually, the algorithm is fast and does not depend on the number of particles present. The numerical tests show that the method is nearly numerical dispersion free and permits accurate calculations even for simulations of low-concentration transport. Because each mesh is considered as a closed system between two successive time steps, it is easy to add adsorption phenomenon without any problem of numerical stability. The model is tested under conditions that are extremely demanding for its operating mode and gives a good fit to analytical solutions. The conditions in which it can be used to best advantage are discussed.     

Reactive transport modeling of the interaction between a high-pH plume and a fractured marl: the case of Wellenberg

In the context of the proposed low- and intermediate-level radioactive waste repository at Wellenberg (Switzerland), calculations simulating the interaction between hyperalkaline solutions and a fractured marl, at 25 °C, have been performed. The aim of these calculations is to evaluate the possible effects of mineral dissolution and precipitation on porosity and permeability changes in such a fractured marl, and their impact on repository performance. Solute transport and chemical reaction are considered in both a high-permeability zone (fracture), where advection is important, and the wall rock, where diffusion is the dominant transport mechanism. The mineral reactions are promoted by the interaction between hyperalkaline solutions derived from the degradation of cement (a major component of the engineered barrier system in the repository) and the host rock. Both diffusive/dispersive and advective solute transport are taken into account in the calculations. Mineral reactions are described by kinetic rate laws. The fluid flow system under consideration is a two-dimensional porous medium (marl, 1% porosity), with a high-permeability zone simulating a fracture (10% porosity) crossing the domain. The dimensions of the domain are 6 m per 1 m, and the fracture width is 10 cm. The fluid flow field is updated during the course of the simulations. Permeabilities are updated according to Kozeny's equation. The composition of the solutions entering the domain is derived from modeling studies of the degradation of cement under the conditions at the proposed underground repository at Wellenberg. Two different cases have been considered in the calculations. These 2 cases are representative of 2 different stages in the process of degradation of cement (pH 13.5 and pH 12.5). In both cases, the flow velocity in the fracture diminishes with time, due to a decrease in porosity. This decrease in porosity is caused by the precipitation of calcite (replacement of dolomite by calcite) and other secondary minerals (brucite, sepiolite, analcime, natrolite, tobermorite). However, the decrease in porosity and flow velocity is much more pronounced in the lower pH case. The extent of the zone of mineral alteration along the fracture is also much more limited in the lower pH case. The reduction of porosity in the fractures would be highly beneficial for repository performance, since it would mean that the solutions coming from the repository and potentially carrying radionuclides in solution would have to flow through low-conductive rock before they would be able to get to higher-conductive features. The biggest uncertainty in the reaction rates used in the calculations arises from the surface areas of the primary minerals. Additional calculations making use of smaller surface areas have also been performed. The results show that the smaller surface areas (and therefore smaller reaction rates) result in a smaller reactivity of the system and smaller porosity changes.     

基于广义塑性理论的尾砂本构模型在ABAQUS中的二次开发

建立尾砂的本构模型是开展尾矿坝数值模拟和安全评价的重要基础,而目前尾砂的本构模型研究多集中于非线性弹性模型,如Duncan-Chang模型,关于弹塑性模型的研究较少。结合尾砂的应力-应变特性,提出了一种适用于描述尾砂力学特性的改进广义塑性模型。基于用户自定义材料子程序UMAT,将提出的模型在ABAQUS中二次开发实现,应力积分采用Runge-Kutta显式积分。通过三轴试验模拟验证,偏差应力曲线表明,有限元计算结果可以反映围压对应力-应变关系的影响,抗剪强度随应变逐渐硬化,达到峰值强度,随后发生应变软化,抗剪强度有所下降。体应变曲线结果表明,广义塑性模型可以很好地描述体应变曲线的体缩-体胀发展过程,与试验曲线吻合较好。同时有限元数值模拟结果和理论值误差很小,且和试验结果拟合较好。该研究成果可进一步用于尾矿坝的应力变形计算和安全评价。     

Hypothesis testing of buoyant plume migration using a highly parameterized variable-density groundwater model at a site in Florida, USA

A highly parameterized variable-density groundwater flow and solute transport model was developed to test multiple hypotheses for upward movement of treated wastewater (effluent) injected into a saline coastal aquifer in southeastern Florida, USA. The model was designed to assess risk to a drinking-water aquifer above the zone of injection, where monitoring wells have detected effluent. The model-based analysis accommodated geological and data complexity, including the observed presence of effluent in upper monitoring wells, but not in lower monitoring wells, thereby giving the appearance of the effluent having bypassed geological layers. The modeling approach included the application of multiple methodologies to reduce model run times during parameter estimation while providing detailed calibrated model(s) that can be used to assess the potential capacity for different mechanisms of effluent migration. The methods included use of a semi-analytical equation to quickly calculate initial concentrations, parallelization of model runs over multiple processors when calibrating, and utilization of the concepts of singular value decomposition and Tikhonov regularization to accommodate a high level of parameterization complexity. The results reveal that vertical effluent migration could occur as diffuse flow through heterogeneous confining units; however, flow through a channelized pathway caused by well construction appears to be more likely.     

Geostatistical integration using 2-D electrical resistivity and 3-D gravity methods for detecting cavities in a karst area

Two-dimensional (2-D) electrical resistivity and three-dimensional (3-D) gravity explorations were undertaken to estimate the 3-D distribution of karst cavities at the area of Yongweol-ri in Korea where ground subsidence has occurred. Although the gravity method is a low-cost way of analyzing a 3-D continuous structure, its vertical resolving power is poor. In contrast, the electrical resistivity method can provide a 2-D and/or 3-D subsurface structure with a much higher lateral and vertical resolution than the gravity method. Accordingly, geostatistical methods and density information were used to enhance the 2-D resistivity structure revealed by the electrical resistivity method into a 3-D structure. The assumptions are, first, that each data set senses the same underlying geological structure in terms of different material properties and, secondly, that two different material properties are correlated locally or globally throughout the entire target area. As a result, the distribution of limestone cavities can be estimated under the assumption that they are mostly filled with groundwater and clayey soils and have abnormally low levels of resistivity and density. The estimated distribution corresponds with the grouting, borehole imaging and monitoring data. In this example, it can be seen that the integration analysis of 2-D electrical resistivity and 3-D gravity methods is a very powerful tool for 3-D subsurface imaging and that the method can provide enhanced imaging capabilities for 3-D cavities.     

CASM: a unified state parameter model for clay and sand

The purpose of this paper is to present a simple, unified critical state constitutive model for both clay and sand. The model, called CASM (Clay And Sand Model), is formulated in terms of the state parameter that is defined as the vertical distance between current state (v, p′) and the critical state line in v–ln p′ space. The paper first shows that the standard Cam-clay models (i.e. the original and modified Cam-clay models) can be reformulated in terms of the state parameter. Although the standard Cam-clay models prove to be successful in modelling normally consolidated clays, it is well known that they cannot predict many important features of the behavior of sands and overconsolidated clays. By adopting a general stress ratio-state parameter relation to describe the state boundary surface of soils, it is shown that a simple, unified constitutive model (CASM) can be developed for both clay and sand. It is also demonstrated that the standard Cam-clay yield surfaces can be either recovered or approximated as special cases of the yield locus assumed in CASM. The main feature of the proposed model is that a single set of yield and plastic potential functions has been used to model the behaviour of clay and sand under both drained and undrained loading conditions. In addition, it is shown that the behaviour of overconsolidated clays can also be satisfactorily modelled. Simplicity is a major advantage of the present state parameter model, as only two new material constants need to be introduced when compared with the standard Cam-clay models. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.