Open AccessSimulation of contaminant flow ina laboratory-scale porous system
Author(s) -
M. M. Rashidi
Publication year - 1995
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/207603
Subject(s) - microscale chemistry , porous medium , tracer , porosity , contamination , materials science , flow (mathematics) , flow conditions , environmental science , mechanics , composite material , physics , ecology , mathematics education , mathematics , nuclear physics , biology
The microscopic movement of contaminants in a porous medium has been simulated in an experiment. The approach has been to study the microscale transport processes using a novel nonintrusive fluorescence imaging technique developed in our laboratories. The system studied consists of a packed porous column with a refractive index-matched fluid seeded with fluorescent tracer particles (for flow measurements) or an organic dye (for contaminant concentration measurements). Microscopic measurements of contaminant concentration, contaminant velocity, and pore geometry were obtained in a full three-dimensional volume of the test section at a good accuracy and a high resolution. 3D plots of these measurements show the complex geometry of the porous medium. It is also seen that near the contaminant front there is a significant correlation between the flow and the contaminant concentration. The goal is to use these and future results toward better understanding of contaminant flow and report thorough natural porous media