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Nondestructive Quantification of Macropore Volume using Shear‐Thinning Fluid
Author(s) -
Stewart R.D.,
Najm M.R. Abou,
Rupp D.E.,
Selker J.S.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2013.08.0346
Subject(s) - thinning , macropore , shear thinning , infiltration (hvac) , porosity , matrix (chemical analysis) , shear (geology) , materials science , soil science , geotechnical engineering , rheology , geology , composite material , chemistry , mesoporous material , ecology , biochemistry , biology , catalysis
Understanding and quantifying the role of preferential pathways, such as soil cracks, on flow in porous media requires accurate estimation of their volume and connectivity. Current estimation methods either are based on surface measurements, which cannot account for complex geometries or networks, or are destructive to the system being studied. In this study, we developed a new, nondestructive method that utilizes a known volume of shear‐thinning viscous solution (here based on guar gum) to fill preferential pathways, with limited infiltration into the soil matrix. Theoretical expressions were developed to predict the shear‐thinning properties of a range of solution concentrations and the amount of solution lost to matrix infiltration. Laboratory and field experiments tested the theory and assessed the utility and accuracy of the proposed method, which was found to be practicable as predicted.