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Impact of particle size on colloid transport in discrete fractures
Author(s) -
Zvikelsky Ori,
Weisbrod Noam
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/2006wr004873
Subject(s) - colloid , settling , brownian motion , deposition (geology) , particle size , advection , diffusion , particle (ecology) , tracer , mineralogy , materials science , chemistry , analytical chemistry (journal) , geology , mathematics , thermodynamics , physics , chromatography , sediment , geomorphology , statistics , oceanography , nuclear physics
The impact of particle size on colloid transport was explored in two saturated, naturally discrete fractured chalk cores, with equivalent hydraulic apertures of 183 and 380 μ m. Tracer experiments were carried out using negatively charged fluorescent latex microspheres (FluoSpheres ® : 0.02, 0.1, 0.2, and 1.0 μ m diameter) as well as Li + and Br − as the soluble tracers. In both fractures, FluoSpheres exhibited earlier arrival times than the solutes and a complete lack of tails in their breakthrough curves, proving that their transport is advection‐dominant. In all experiments the 0.2‐ μ m FluoSpheres were recovered to a much greater extent than the 0.02‐ μ m FluoSpheres and to a slightly greater extent than the 1.0‐ μ m FluoSpheres. Similarly, the highest maximum C/C 0 values were found for 0.2 μ m, then for 1.0 μ m, while the maximum C/C 0 values for the 0.02‐ μ m colloids were significantly lower. The insignificant contribution of settling relative to Brownian motion (diffusion) as an efficient deposition mechanism was demonstrated for all sizes of FluoSpheres in both fractures.