Mechanism of Suspended Kaolinite Particle Clogging in Porous Media During Managed Aquifer Recharge

Managed aquifer recharge is an effective strategy for urban stormwater management. Chemical ions are normally retained in stormwater and groundwater and may accelerate clogging during the recharge process. However, the effect of water chemistry on physical clogging has not previously been investigated. In this study, we investigated the hydrogeochemical mechanism of saturated porous media clogging in a series of column experiments. The column was packed with river sand and added suspensions of kaolinite particles. Calcium chloride and sodium chloride are used as representative ions to study chemical effects. We found that an increase in ionic strength resulted in retention of kaolinite solids in the column, with a breakthrough peak of C/C₀ value of 1 to 0.2. The corresponding hydraulic conductivity decreased with increased solids clogging. Divalent cations were also found to have a greater influence on kaolinite particle clogging than monovalent cations. The enhanced hydrochemical-related clogging was caused by kaolinite solids flocculating and increasing the deposition rate coefficient by 1 to 2 times in high ionic strength conditions. Three clogging mechanisms of kaolinite solids are proposed: surface filtration, inner blocking, and attachment. This study further deepens the understanding of the mechanisms of solids clogging during aquifer recharge and demonstrates the significance of ionic strength on recharge clogging risk assessments.     

CT高浓度碘对比剂在克罗恩病中的应用效果

目的：通过比较不同浓度碘对比剂在克罗恩患者腹部CT血管成像质量及肠壁相对强化值,探讨高浓度对比剂在该病患者腹部CT的应用价值。方法：回顾性地分析了2016年5月至2019年1月经临床及病理诊断为CD,并进行了小肠CTE检查的30例患者,根据使用对比剂浓度的不同,分为高浓度组（A组碘浓度为400 mg/mL）,常规浓度组（B组碘浓度为350 mg/mL）。所有患者通过自动触发技术进行动脉期扫描。动脉期对腹部主要血管显影质量以三级评分为基础进行评价,对腹主动脉、肠系膜上动脉强化及肠壁强化进行以CT值测量为基础的定量评价,计算目标血管的对比噪声比（CNR）,采用独立样本t检验对结果进行评价。结果：在定性评价上,动脉期腹部血管成像质量A组高于B组（P<0.05）。定量评价动脉期A组在腹主动脉、肠系膜上动脉强化值均高于B组（P=0.025）,且A组在肠壁的动脉期相对强化值（39.25±11.99） HU高于B组（30.27±11.69） HU,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。A组目标血管的对比噪声比（CNR）皆高于B组,组间存在统计学差异（P<0.05）。结论：在克罗恩患者中,高浓度碘对比剂对腹主动脉及肠系膜血管主干分支强化程度更高、显影更佳,对病变肠壁强化更明显。     

Tracer Tests and Image Analysis of Biological Clogging in a Two-Dimensional Sandbox Experiment

A two-dimensional flow experiment on biological clogging was carried out by biostimulating a sandbox packed with sand inoculated with bacteria. Biostimulation consisted of continuously injecting nutrients (acetate and nitrate). Clogging was visualized by frequently carrying out colored tracer experiments using Brilliant Blue. The tracer experiments were recorded with a digital camera and converted to concentration maps using an image-analysis method that revealed in detail the complex spreading pattern surrounding clogged areas. Clogging resulted in a finger-like spreading of the tracer around the main clogged area. Fingers were asymmetric and their dominant direction changed over time. Although the flow field was complex around the main clogged area, the effect on the bulk hydraulic conductivity at the scale of the sandbox was very small.     

Simulation of Tidal Effects on Contaminant Transport in Porous Media

A one-dimensional numerical model is developed with oscillating velocities and dispersions to simulate the migration process of a contaminant plume within tidally influenced aquifers. Model simulations demonstrate that a major effect the tidal fluctuation has on the migration process of a contaminant plume is the exit concentration discharging to the tidal estuary. Tidal fluctuation causes the exit concentration levels to be significantly diluted by the surface-water body of the estuary. Sensitivity analyses demonstrate that tidal fluctuation hastens the rate of plume migration near the bank of the estuary because of the relatively high advective and dispersive fluxes induced by tides. However, tides affect the migration process only over a short distance from the tidal-water interface (about 40 ft for the parameters used in this study). If the contaminant plume is located far beyond the interface, tidal fluctuations will not affect the rate of plume migration until an existing regional ground-water flow velocity brings the plume to the tidally active zone. With or without tides, the rate of contaminant migration increases with higher regional hydraulic gradient. Furthermore, the effects of tidal fluctuations on the transport process become insignificant with higher regional hydraulic gradients.     

Biological and Physical Clogging in Infiltration Wells: Effects of Well Diameter and Gravel Pack

Gravity-driven infiltration into the shallow subsurface via small-diameter wells (SDWs), i.e., wells with an inner diameter smaller than 7.5 cm (3 inches) and no gravel pack) has proven to be a cost-efficient and flexible tool for managed aquifer recharge (MAR), as it provides relatively high recharge rates with minimal construction effort. SDWs have a significantly smaller open filter area than larger diameter wells with gravel pack, making the infiltration of low-quality waters through these wells more at risk clogging. To investigate their susceptibility for biological and physical clogging, 24 physical models with different well setups were evaluated by infiltrating either nutrient-poor but turbid water or nutrient-rich but clear water. The experiments showed that smaller diameters and the lack of a gravel pack increase the well's susceptibility to both kinds of clogging. However, this effect was observed to be much more pronounced for physical than for biological clogging. Our conclusion is that SDWs show severe disadvantages with respect to the infiltration of highly turbid waters in comparison to large diameter wells with a gravel pack. Nevertheless, this disadvantage is much less severe when it comes to the infiltration of clear but nutrient-rich waters (e.g., treated wastewater). Depending on the economic and geological circumstances of a MAR-project, this disadvantage could be outweighed by the significantly lower construction costs of SDWs.     

Experiment and Simulation of Non-Reactive Solute Transport in Porous Media

To more accurately predict the migration behavior of pollutants in porous media, we conduct laboratory scale experiments and model simulation. Aniline (AN) is used in one-dimensional soil column experiments designed under various media and hydrodynamic conditions. The advection-dispersion equation (ADE) and the continuous-time random walk (CTRW) were used to simulate the breakthrough curves (BTCs) of the solute transport. The results show that the media and hydrodynamic conditions are two important factors affecting solute transport and are related to the degree of non-Fickian transport. The simulation results show that CTRW can more effectively describe the non-Fickian phenomenon in the solute transport process than ADE. The sensitive parameter in the CTRW simulation process is , which can reflect the degree of non-Fickian diffusion in the solute transport. Understanding the relationship of with velocity and media particle size is conducive to improving the reactive solute transport model. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for better prediction of pollutant transport in groundwater.     

Specification of Matrix Cleanup Goals in Fractured Porous Media

Semianalytical transient solutions have been developed to evaluate what level of fractured porous media (e.g., bedrock or clay) matrix cleanup must be achieved in order to achieve compliance of fracture pore water concentrations within a specified time at specified locations of interest. The developed mathematical solutions account for forward and backward diffusion in a fractured porous medium where the initial condition comprises a spatially uniform, nonzero matrix concentration throughout the domain. Illustrative simulations incorporating the properties of mudstone fractured bedrock demonstrate that the time required to reach a desired fracture pore water concentration is a function of the distance between the point of compliance and the upgradient face of the domain where clean groundwater is inflowing. Shorter distances correspond to reduced times required to reach compliance, implying that shorter treatment zones will respond more favorably to remediation than longer treatment zones in which back‐diffusion dominates the fracture pore water response. For a specified matrix cleanup goal, compliance of fracture pore water concentrations will be reached sooner for decreased fracture spacing, increased fracture aperture, higher matrix fraction organic carbon, lower matrix porosity, shorter aqueous phase decay half‐life, and a higher hydraulic gradient. The parameters dominating the response of the system can be measured using standard field and laboratory techniques.     

Angular and Frequency-Dependent Wave Velocity and Attenuation in Fractured Porous Media

Wave-induced fluid flow generates a dominant attenuation mechanism in porous media. It consists of energy loss due to P-wave conversion to Biot (diffusive) modes at mesoscopic-scale inhomogeneities. Fractured poroelastic media show significant attenuation and velocity dispersion due to this mechanism. The theory has first been developed for the symmetry axis of the equivalent transversely isotropic (TI) medium corresponding to a poroelastic medium containing planar fractures. In this work, we consider the theory for all propagation angles by obtaining the five complex and frequency-dependent stiffnesses of the equivalent TI medium as a function of frequency. We assume that the flow direction is perpendicular to the layering plane and is independent of the loading direction. As a consequence, the behaviour of the medium can be described by a single relaxation function. We first consider the limiting case of an open (highly permeable) fracture of negligible thickness. We then compute the associated wave velocities and quality factors as a function of the propagation direction (phase and ray angles) and frequency. The location of the relaxation peak depends on the distance between fractures (the mesoscopic distance), viscosity, permeability and fractures compliances. The flow induced by wave propagation affects the quasi-shear (qS) wave with levels of attenuation similar to those of the quasi-compressional (qP) wave. On the other hand, a general fracture can be modeled as a sequence of poroelastic layers, where one of the layers is very thin. Modeling fractures of different thickness filled with CO₂ embedded in a background medium saturated with a stiffer fluid also shows considerable attenuation and velocity dispersion. If the fracture and background frames are the same, the equivalent medium is isotropic, but strong wave anisotropy occurs in the case of a frameless and highly permeable fracture material, for instance a suspension of solid particles in the fluid.     

Recovery of Coal Tar and Creosote from Porous Media: The Influence of Wettability

The recovery of coal tar or creosote, which are dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs), from the subsurface has been used as a means of site remediation at several former manufactured-gas plant sites and wood-treating facilities. Surface-active components in these complex DNAPL can have acid/base and surfactant characteristics that can significantly affect the wettability in these systems, with a reversal to DNAPL wetting at low pHs. These changes in wettability as a function of pH were employed to evaluate their significance on waterflooding efficiency in one-dimensional soil columns. The use of pH as a means of controlling wettability resulted in identical density and viscosity properties between the water-and DNAPL-wet conditions. At some of the higher pHs, the interracial tension changed as well as the wettability. Maintaining a constant dimensionless capillary number was used to minimize the effect of this variable. DNAPL saturations remaining in the DNAPL-wet systems after waterflooding ranged from 38% to 47%. Significantly lower final DNAPL saturations were achieved for water-wetting systems (15% to 30%).     

Electrokinetic Migration of Nitrate Through Heterogeneous Granular Porous Media

This study investigates and quantifies the influence of physical heterogeneity in granular porous media, represented by materials with different hydraulic conductivity, on the migration of nitrate, used as an amendment to enhance bioremediation, under an electric field. Laboratory experiments were conducted in a bench‐scale test cell under a low applied direct current using glass bead and clay mixes and synthetic groundwater to represent ideal conditions. The experiments included bromide tracer tests in homogeneous settings to deduce controls on electrokinetic transport of inorganic solutes in the different materials, and comparison of nitrate migration under homogeneous and heterogeneous scenarios. The results indicate that physical heterogeneity of subsurface materials, represented by a contrast between a higher‐hydraulic conductivity and lower‐hydraulic conductivity material normal to the direction of the applied electric field exerts the following controls on nitrate migration: (1) a spatial change in nitrate migration rate due to changes in effective ionic mobility and subsequent accumulation of nitrate at the interface between these materials; and (2) a spatial change in the voltage gradient distribution across the hydraulic conductivity contrast, due to the inverse relationship with effective ionic mobility. These factors will contribute to higher mass transport of nitrate through low hydraulic conductivity zones in heterogeneous porous media, relative to homogeneous host materials. Overall electrokinetic migration of amendments such as nitrate can be increased in heterogeneous granular porous media to enhance the in situ bioremediation of organic contaminants present in low hydraulic conductivity zones.     

基于Comsol的饱和多孔介质动力方程的数值模拟及应用

两相饱和多孔介质的动力响应问题在地震工程领域具有重要的研究意义,由于涉及到固相和液相的动力耦合,使得该问题的求解尤为复杂。本文利用Comsol在求解多场耦合问题上的优点,针对Biot饱和多孔介质u-U耦合形式下的波动方程特征,经过一系列微分算子运算和矩阵变换得到导数形式下的波动方程,基于Comsol Multiphysics提供的广义偏微分方程模式对变形后的波动方程进行求解,并把改进后的无限元边界应用到无限域动力问题的模拟中。通过与饱和多孔介质动力响应的解析解进行对比,验证模型求解技术的可行性和正确性,并在此基础上讨论饱和土地基中空沟隔振效果与饱和土体参数孔隙率、泊松比的关系。通过研究分析,可以为饱和土地基中空沟隔振设计提供一些有价值的参考。     

Calculating Groundwater Response Times for Flow in Heterogeneous Porous Media

Predicting the amount of time required for a transient groundwater response to take place is a practical question that is of interest in many situations. This time scale is often called the response time. In the groundwater hydrology literature, there are two main methods used to calculate the response time: (1) both the transient and steady‐state groundwater flow equations are solved, and the response time is taken to be amount of time required for the transient solution to approach the steady solution within some tolerance; and (2) simple scaling arguments are adopted. Certain limitations restrict both of these approaches. In this study, we outline a third method, based on the theory of mean action time. We derive the governing boundary value problem for both the mean and variance of action time for confined flow in two‐dimensional heterogeneous porous media. Importantly, we show that these boundary value problems can be solved using widely available software. Applying these methods to a test case reveals the advantages of the theory of mean action time relative to standard methods.