孔隙结构和水动力对饱和多孔介质中颗粒迁移和沉积特性的耦合影响

为了研究孔隙结构和水动力对悬浮颗粒在饱和多孔介质中沉积和迁移特性的影响,对天然硅粉（悬浮颗粒）和荧光素钠（示踪剂）在饱和多孔介质中的渗流迁移特性进行土柱试验,分别得到了5种不同渗流速度（0.033、0.066、0.132、0.199、0.265 cm/s）、两种不同多孔介质（石英砂和玻璃球）的悬浮颗粒和示踪剂全组合下的20条穿透曲线。根据试验结果,研究孔隙结构、渗流速度对饱和多孔介质中颗粒迁移和沉积过程中水动力作用机制、弥散效应、加速效应的影响。研究表明,悬浮颗粒的穿透曲线可以用一阶沉积动力学对流弥散方程的解析解来描述。随着渗流速度的增大,水动力学作用对颗粒出流浓度的影响越来越大,而孔隙结构的影响则相对减弱。同时,存在一个临界渗流速度值。当渗流速度超出该值时,悬浮颗粒迁移要快于示踪剂,而且临界渗流速度对于玻璃球和石英砂两种多孔介质是不同的;其次,在两种介质中,随渗流速度增大,弥散度增加,回收率和回收悬浮颗粒粒径增大,沉积系数先增大后减小。此外,在孔隙比相近的情况下,悬浮颗粒在玻璃球介质中的回收率要大于其在石英砂中的。可见,孔隙结构和渗流速度是影响饱和多孔介质中颗粒输运的重要因素,渗流速度越大,孔隙结构的作用越明显。     

悬浮颗粒的浓度对其在饱和多孔介质中迁移和沉积特性的影响

多孔介质中悬浮颗粒迁移和沉积特性的研究对地下污染物净化、石油开采、核废料处置、水土保持等有很重要的意义。对4种不同浓度的悬浮颗粒在3种不同的渗流速度下进行室内试验,研究悬浮颗粒的浓度对其迁移和沉积特性的影响。结果表明,在一定的悬浮颗粒浓度下,随着渗流速度的增加,穿透曲线中的悬浮颗粒的相对浓度也增大。同时,渗流速度一定时,悬浮颗粒的浓度存在一个临界值,小于该临界值,穿透曲线中的相对浓度随悬浮颗粒的浓度增大而增大;大于该临界值时,相对浓度随悬浮颗粒的浓度增大而减小。另外,悬浮颗粒的临界浓度是与渗流速度相关的,随着渗流速度增加,悬浮颗粒的临界浓度也逐渐增大     

考虑尺寸排除效应颗粒迁移模型的建立

以地下水源热泵回灌中的物理堵塞问题作为研究背景,建立一种基于质量平衡方程来模拟多孔介质中颗粒迁移和沉积造成孔隙损伤的数学模型,同时考虑了多孔介质孔隙中悬浮颗粒浓度随时间的动态变化,引入了流量折减系数 和进入系数 这两个变量,充分考虑了尺寸排除效应的影响。堵塞的发生往往是由一个颗粒所引起的,即一个颗粒堵塞一个孔隙,反之亦然。研究结果为解决回灌井物理堵塞的室内外试验研究提供理论依据。     

颗粒形状对粒状材料破碎演化规律及强度准则影响

为探讨颗粒形状对粒状材料的颗粒破碎演化规律及强度特征的影响,提出了一个新的粒状材料颗粒形状量化参数,设计了一种考虑三维颗粒形状的人工试样制备方法,随即进行了常规三轴压缩试验,并分析了颗粒破碎和强度特征,最终建立了一个二元介质强度准则,具体的研究成果为：建立颗粒形状量化参数——球形模量GM,在此基础上制备了5种不同形状的可破碎粒状材料三轴试样,并发现球形模量影响着粒状材料的三轴压缩强度特征;通过筛分确定试样的颗粒破碎情况,对试样的颗粒破碎演化规律和临界状态进行探讨,发现颗粒形状通过影响颗粒破碎规律而控制着宏观强度的非线性演化特征;以二元介质理论为基础,建立了考虑颗粒形状的可破碎粒状材料强度准则,并通过试验对其适用性进行了验证。     

砂土颗粒形状量化及其对力学指标的影响分析

砂作为一种特殊的散体材料,其宏观物理力学性质,如密实度、剪切特性（临界状态角,剪胀角）、压缩性及颗粒破碎特征等均受到颗粒形状的影响,目前为止,对于砂粒土颗粒形状的量化工作,未到达成熟阶段。试验采用普通光学显微镜获取3种不同砂颗粒及一种相似材料（玻璃球）数字图像,利用ImageJ图形软件对其进行黑白二值化处理,获取颗粒形状轮廓边界;从3个层次定义颗粒形状参数,并利用java语言编制形状量化插件程序,计算砂粒各形状参数值,最后通过相对密度试验、直剪试验测试不同砂样的极限孔隙比、剪切强度指标。试验结果表明：整体轮廓系数、球形度、棱角度3项形状参数可作为不同砂粒形状鉴别和量化的关键参数,且与剪胀角、临界状态摩擦角均具有良好的相关性,试验提供了一种量化砂颗粒形状的有效方法,并可将得到的关键量化参数应用到宏观力学性质分析与数值模拟工作中     

钙质土的剪切特性试验研究

钙质土因其颗粒形状不规则、易破碎、高孔隙比等特征,其力学性质较为特殊。采用室内大型直接剪切试验设备,对取自南海珊瑚礁和三亚岸礁的粗颗粒钙质土进行了直剪试验,研究了粗颗粒钙质土在不同含水率、不同密度和不同矿物组成条件下的钙质土剪切特性。结果表明,粗颗粒钙质土表现出与常规无黏性土截然不同的力学性质,即（1）与石英砂相比,表观黏聚力较大,内摩擦角较高,软化性较弱;（2）表观黏聚力随着平均粒径的增大而增大,内摩擦角随着干密度的增大而增大;（3）与峰值强度相比,土体剪切破坏后其残余强度的表观黏聚力锐减而内摩擦角仅略有减小。研究成果可为岛礁工程建设提供借鉴,也可为其他粗颗粒土的研究提供参考。     

堆石料单颗粒劈裂试验破碎强度随机性与尺寸效应的三维离散元模拟

堆石单颗粒形状不规则,强度随机且存在尺寸效应,开发堆石颗粒模型是开展堆石料颗粒流室内数值试验的基础。文中提出一种随机裂缝模型,并对模型参数的设置进行分析讨论,模型在合理的参数设置的情况下能反映真实堆石颗粒的脆性劈裂、强度随机性Weibull分布、强度尺寸效应,是深入开展筑坝材料破碎及缩尺效应颗粒流模拟分析的前提。单颗粒数值试验表明,颗粒形状对破碎模式影响显著;在相同岩性材质和裂缝分布情况下形状对颗粒强度影响较大;颗粒越不规则,其强度离散性越大。     

各向异性砂土渗流潜蚀流体动力学-离散元流固耦合分析

针对具有初始各向异性的间断级配砂土细粒潜蚀问题,引入可以考虑颗粒投影面积影响的Ganser拖曳力计算模型,实现非球形颗粒的计算流体动力学（computational fluid dynamics,简称CFD）和离散元（discrete element method,简称DEM）的双相耦合。通过与单颗粒下沉试验的对比,验证了该数值方法在解决异形颗粒与流体相互作用时的适用性。在此基础上,生成具有不同沉积方向和不同细粒含量的初始各向异性试样,模拟向上渗流潜蚀试验,并在试验中监测细粒流失量、强弱力链组成以及颗粒组构变化等宏微观特性,研究不同充填状态下（欠填充和过填充）不同组构各向异性土体渗流潜蚀特征。之后,对受潜蚀前后的试样进行了排水三轴试验,探究渗流对土体强度弱化的影响。结果表明,过填充试样质量损失随着颗粒沉积角度的增大而增大,而欠填充试样质量损失随沉积角度先增大后减小;欠填充试样细粒损失主要来源于低连通性细颗粒,而对于过填充试样,潜蚀则会导致低连通性和高连通性细颗粒数量同时减小。此外,三轴试验表明,潜蚀致土体峰值强度发生显著弱化,且峰值强度随沉积角度的变化也会受到土体充填状态的影响。     

堆石料三维形状量化及其对颗粒破碎的影响

筑坝堆石料由于尺寸较大,必须对其按一定比例缩尺后才能用来开展室内三轴试验。但缩尺前后颗粒形状难免会有差异,如何评价颗粒形状变化对堆石料变形特性的影响是十分重要的。引入了高精度的三维激光扫描技术对紫坪铺面板坝筑坝堆石料2.5～5、5～10、10～20 mm以及20～40 mm 4个粒径组的颗粒进行了空间形状分析,在此基础上进一步开展了单一粒组的三轴试验,研究了4个粒组的颗粒形状指标与颗粒破碎率的相关性。试验表明,紫坪铺堆石料颗粒破碎率随着其平均球度的增加而减小,并且呈近似半对数线性关系;随着围压的增加,颗粒形状对颗粒破碎的影响逐渐减弱,颗粒强度的影响逐渐增大。紫坪铺堆石料的颗粒强度随着颗粒尺寸的增加逐渐减小,但其破碎率反而随着颗粒尺寸的增加而逐渐减小,主要是因为试验所采用的紫坪铺堆石料颗粒尺寸越小时,其形状越不规则。因此,研究缩尺效应对颗粒破碎率的影响时,要同时考虑颗粒尺寸和颗粒形状。     

长春地区季冻土基本性质对水分迁移的影响

以长春-四平线（一号样）、长春-松原线（二号样）以及长春-吉林北线（三号样）3段公路土样为研究对象,从微观结构出发,结合物理化学试验和力学试验,评价了长春地区季冻土的性质对水分迁移的影响,为长春地区季冻土的水分迁移研究、道路冻胀翻浆的防治等提供试验依据。从试验得出,长春地区季节冻土孔隙直径大部分分布在<5 μm区间,有利于水分迁移;土样矿物质含量较高,阳离子交换量比较大,粘粒含量较高,颗粒形状也较规则,水化比表面积较高,有利于水化膜形成;外载荷会对水分迁移程度产生影响,整体上三号样水分迁移量最大,一号样次之,二号样最小。     

An experimental and theoretical study of the seepage migration of suspended particles with different sizes

This study experimentally investigates the effect of particle size, particle concentration and flow velocity on the migration of suspended particles of size 1.02–47 μm in porous media. The results show that at the same flow velocity, the peak values of the breakthrough curves decrease and corresponding pore volumes increase slightly with increasing particles size. The migration velocity of smaller suspended particles is even greater than water flow velocity, which is attributed to the size exclusion effect. With increase of the injected particle concentration, the deposition coefficients of small single particles increase at first and then tend to a steady state or even decrease slightly, explained by the maximum retention concentration. The dispersivity of small particles decreases with increasing velocity. However, at a high flow velocity, the hydrodynamic dispersivity becomes increasingly dominant with the increase of particle size. The deposition coefficients for large-sized particles are higher than those for small-sized particles, which is attributed to considerable mass removal due to straining. An analytical solution, considering the release effect of sorbed particles, is developed to account for the one-dimensional flow and dispersive effect using a source function method, and then three transport parameters—dispersivity, deposition coefficient and release coefficient—are fitted using the experimental results. Finally, suspended-particle migration is predicted by the proposed model for short-time constant-concentration injection and repeated three-pulse injection. Overall, particle size has a significant effect on the seepage migration parameters of suspended particles in porous media such as the particle velocity, dispersivity and deposition coefficient.     

Transport and deposition of suspended particles in saturated porous media: hydrodynamic effect

A laboratory study was undertaken to determine the transport and deposition rate of suspended particles in columns of saturated porous media (gravel and glass beads), where the porous media were subjected to steady-state flow. Silt particles with a mode of 14 μm diameter (used as the suspended particles) and fluorescein (as the conservative tracer) were injected into the columns in short pulses. The breakthrough curves were competently described with the analytical solution of a convection–dispersion equation with a first-order deposition rate. The experiments were performed using different flow rates. The suspended particle size distribution, the porous media, and the flow rates themselves were the main factors retained in this study to investigate the mechanisms governing the transport and deposition kinetics in detail. The results showed the existence of a flow rate, beyond which suspended particles travel faster than the conservative tracer. A decrease of the deposition rate of suspended particles beyond a critical flow velocity was also observed. Such behaviour led to consideration of the couple hydrodynamic-gravity forces at high flow rates. As the hydrodynamic force increases, particle deposition rates are reduced due to the effect of hydrodynamic forces inhibiting the deposition.     

The effect of particle shape and hydrophobicity in flotation

The effect of particle shape on the flotation process has been investigated in laboratory experiments with monosized spherical ballotini and ground ballotini. The particles were treated by partial methylation with trimethylchlorosilane to achieve varying degrees of hydrophobicity. In flotation, the process of film thinning and liquid drainage is critical in the formation of stable bubble–particle attachments and this is affected by the particle shape and surface hydrophobicity. Flotation tests with different particle sizes were conducted in a modified batch Denver cell. Predictions from a computational fluid dynamic model of the flotation cell that incorporates fundamental aspects of bubble–particle attachment were compared with data from flotation tests. Contact angles of the particles were measured using a capillary rise technique to indicate surface hydrophobicity. Ground ballotini generally has higher flotation rates than spherical ballotini; the results are consistent with effects from faster film thinning and rupture at rough surfaces and are well correlated by the sphericity index.     

Discrete element modeling of crushable sands considering realistic particle shape effect

This study proposed a novel approach for generating crushable agglomerates with realistic particle shapes in discrete element modeling (DEM). The morphologies of sand particles were obtained by X-ray micro-computed tomography scanning and image processing. Based on the particle surface reconstructed by spherical harmonic analysis, the crushable agglomerates with realistic particle shapes can be generated in DEM simulations. The results of single particle crushing tests showed that particle shapes significantly influence the fracture patterns and crushing strengths of sand particles. Furthermore, two one-dimensional compression tests were conducted to investigate the particle shape effect on micro- and macro-mechanical behaviors of crushable sands.     

Thorium adsorption in the ocean: reversibility and distribution amongst particle sizes

Experiments have been carried out to determine whether the adsorption of Th by marine suspended particles is a reversible process. The results indicate reversibility on a time scale of hours. The distribution of Th between the ‘dissolved’ state (<0.22 μm particle size) and various particle size fractions has been compared with predictions based on a hyperbolic size distribution of marine particles assuming spherical geometry and surface adsorption. Thorium is present in small particles to a much smaller degree than such a model would predict, so that the use of 1 μm pore size filters to separate ‘dissolved’ and ‘particulate’ Th does not introduce serious errors. The implications of these results on the reversible exchange model of Bacon and Anderson (1982) and on the settling model of Tsunogai and Minagawa (1978) are discussed.     

Implication of surface modified NZVI particle retention in the porous media: Assessment with the help of 1-D transport model

Retention of surface-modified nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) particles in the porous media near the point of injection has been reported in the recent studies. Retention of excess particles in porous media can alter the media properties. The main objectives of this study are, therefore, to evaluate the effect of particle retention on the porous media properties and its implication on further NZVI particle transport under different flow conditions. To achieve the objectives, a one-dimensional transport model is developed by considering particle deposition, detachment, and straining mechanisms along with the effect of changes in porosity resulting from retention of NZVI particles. Two different flow conditions are considered for simulations. The first is a constant Darcy’s flow rate condition, which assumes a change in porosity, causes a change in pore water velocity and the second, is a constant head condition, which assumes the change in porosity, influence the permeability and hydraulic conductivity (thus Darcy’s flow rate). Overall a rapid decrease in porosity was observed as a result of high particle retention near the injection points resulting in a spatial distribution of deposition rate coefficient. In the case of constant head condition, the spatial distribution of Darcy’s velocities is predicted due to variation in porosity and hydraulic conductivity. The simulation results are compared with the data reported from the field studies; which suggests straining is likely to happen in the real field condition.     

Experimental and modeling investigation of sewage solids sedimentation based on particle size distribution and fractal dimension

Sewage solids are usually characterized by non-specific parameters such as suspended solids. The suspended solids has been shown to be an inadequate index for advanced water treatment processes. In this study, the sewages solids particle size distribution was used to provide more detailed information on sewage characteristic. It is hoped that, by introducing particle size distribution, the mechanism of sewage solids sedimentations can be better understood. The particle size distribution of the domestic sewage was measured by the Malvern® laser scattering technique to link to its settlement efficiency. Experimental results show that 77 % of particle volume was removed during the 90 min settling, of which 71.2 % of particle volume was removed in the initial 30 min. The submicron particles were found to be removed by co-settling with large particles. The fractal dimensions of sewage solids could also be derived from the laser scattering measurement. The fractal dimension could also provide useful information on the shape and density of sewage solids. A mathematical model considering the particle sizes, shapes and density changes was then constructed to simulate the settlement of raw sewage particles. Comparison of the modeling results based on discrete and flocculant settling theory shows that settlement can be better predicted by considering the fractal nature of particles. The particle size distribution and fractal dimension data measured by Malvern® laser scattering technique have been shown to be valuable data for in-depth understanding of the mechanisms of sewage solids sedimentation.     

Deposition and mobilization of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes in saturated porous media: effect of grain size,flow velocity and solution chemistry

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are widely manufactured nanoparticles which are utilized in a number of consumer products, such as sporting goods, electronics and biomedical applications. Due to their accelerating production and use, CNTs constitute a potential environmental risk if they are released to soil and groundwater systems. It is, therefore, essential to improve the current understanding of environmental fate and transport of CNTs. The current study systematically investigated the effect of solution chemistry (pH and ionic strength) and physical conditions (collector grain size and flow rate) on the deposition and mobilization of functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) using a series of column experiments under fully saturated conditions. A one-dimensional convection–dispersion model including collector efficiency for cylindrical nanoparticles was used to simulate the transport of MWCNTs in porous media. It was observed that an increase in pH resulted in increased mobility of MWCNTs. However, the transport of MWCNTs was strongly dependent on ionic strength of the background solution and a critical deposition concentration was observed between 3 and 4 mM NaCl concentration, with more than 99 % filtration of MWCNTs at 4 mM. The finer sand grains were able to filter a significant amount of MWCNTs (15 % more than coarse sand) from the inflow solution; this was likely caused by grain-to-grain straining mechanisms in the finer sand. A decrease in pore water velocity also led to more deposition of MWCNTs due to lowering of the kinetic energy of the particles. The results from this study indicated that a weak secondary minimum existed under unfavorable conditions for deposition, but the particles were trapped at both primary and secondary minimum.