Premium
A nonequilibrium model for reactive contaminant transport through fractured porous media: Model development and semianalytical solution
Author(s) -
Joshi Nitin,
Ojha C. S. P.,
Sharma P. K.
Publication year - 2012
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 - 10.1029/2011wr011621
Subject(s) - sorption , non equilibrium thermodynamics , mass transfer , porous medium , fracture (geology) , matrix (chemical analysis) , laplace transform , mechanics , transfer matrix , boundary value problem , thermodynamics , materials science , geotechnical engineering , porosity , mathematics , chemistry , geology , physics , computer science , mathematical analysis , composite material , adsorption , computer vision
In this study a conceptual model that accounts for the effects of nonequilibrium contaminant transport in a fractured porous media is developed. Present model accounts for both physical and sorption nonequilibrium. Analytical solution was developed using the Laplace transform technique, which was then numerically inverted to obtain solute concentration in the fracture matrix system. The semianalytical solution developed here can incorporate both semi‐infinite and finite fracture matrix extent. In addition, the model can account for flexible boundary conditions and nonzero initial condition in the fracture matrix system. The present semianalytical solution was validated against the existing analytical solutions for the fracture matrix system. In order to differentiate between various sorption/transport mechanism different cases of sorption and mass transfer were analyzed by comparing the breakthrough curves and temporal moments. It was found that significant differences in the signature of sorption and mass transfer exists. Applicability of the developed model was evaluated by simulating the published experimental data of Calcium and Strontium transport in a single fracture. The present model simulated the experimental data reasonably well in comparison to the model based on equilibrium sorption assumption in fracture matrix system, and multi rate mass transfer model.