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Contaminant migration in a regular two‐ or three‐dimensional fractured network: Reactive contaminants
Author(s) -
Rowe R. K.,
Booker J. R.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
international journal for numerical and analytical methods in geomechanics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.419
H-Index - 91
eISSN - 1096-9853
pISSN - 0363-9061
DOI - 10.1002/nag.1610140603
Subject(s) - fracture (geology) , sorption , range (aeronautics) , matrix (chemical analysis) , leachate , diffusion , computation , contamination , mechanics , geotechnical engineering , environmental science , computer science , geology , materials science , chemistry , engineering , thermodynamics , algorithm , physics , waste management , composite material , ecology , organic chemistry , adsorption , biology
A semi‐analytic solution for the migration of dilute reactive contaminant species in a fractured medium having a one‐, two‐ or three‐dimensional fracture network is presented. The application of the technique to practical problems is discussed and illustrated by examples. The effects of sorption in the matrix and on the surface of the fractures are considered for a range of parameters. It is demonstrated that the synergistic interaction of the various parameters is such that the effect of changing a single variable may not be immediately obvious and a designer should perform computations for the range of expected parameters to determine the maximum impact. For example, it is shown that it is not necessarily conservative to consider only one‐dimensional or only three‐dimensional diffusion into the matrix; which of these cases is most critical will depend on the values of other parameters. It is also shown that an effective leachate collection system may significantly reduce the impact of those contaminants which do escape into the fractured media.