Variable-density groundwater flow and solute transport in irregular 2D fracture networks

Numerical simulations of variable-density flow and solute transport have been conducted to investigate dense plume migration for various configurations of 2D fracture networks. For orthogonal fractures, simulations demonstrate that dispersive mixing in fractures with small aperture does not stabilize vertical plume migration in fractures with large aperture. Simulations in non-orthogonal 2D fracture networks indicate that convection cells form and that they overlap both the porous matrix and fractures. Thus, transport rates in convection cells depend on matrix and fracture flow properties. A series of simulations in statistically equivalent networks of fractures with irregular orientation show that the migration of a dense plume is highly sensitive to the geometry of the network. If fractures in a random network are connected equidistantly to the solute source, few equidistantly distributed fractures favor density-driven transport. On the other hand, numerous fractures have a stabilizing effect, especially if diffusive transport rates are high. A sensitivity analysis for a network with few equidistantly distributed fractures shows that low fracture aperture, low matrix permeability and high matrix porosity impede density-driven transport because these parameters reduce groundwater flow velocities in both the matrix and the fractures. Enhanced molecular diffusion slows down density-driven transport because it favors solute diffusion from the fractures into the low-permeability porous matrix where groundwater velocities are smaller. For the configurations tested, variable-density flow and solute transport are most sensitive to the permeability and porosity of the matrix, which are properties that can be determined more accurately than the geometry and hydraulic properties of the fracture network, which have a smaller impact on density-driven transport.