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Experimental and simulated solute transport in a partially‐saturated, variable‐aperture fracture
Author(s) -
Detwiler Russell L.,
Rajaram Harihar,
Glass Robert J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2001gl013508
Subject(s) - aperture (computer memory) , mechanics , fracture (geology) , dispersion (optics) , materials science , variable (mathematics) , physics , optics , composite material , mathematics , mathematical analysis , acoustics
We compare solute transport experiments to simulations in a partially‐saturated, variable‐aperture fracture in measured fracture aperture and entrapped‐air geometry fields. The computational model tracks particles through a quasi‐three‐dimensional velocity field that is based on the two‐dimensional solution to the Reynolds equation. The model predicts 84% of the relative increase in dispersion caused by the entrapped phase, and reproduces the experimentally observed nonlinear velocity‐dependence of solute dispersion.