[Sand box study on fingering front morphology for NAPLs infiltrated in homogeneous porous media]

Huan Jing Ke Xue. 2013 Apr;34(4):1545-52.
[Article in Chinese]

Abstract

Abstract: 1,2-dichloroethane and tetrachlorethylene were studied in four different unsaturated porous media to determine the impact of the properties of media and fluids on the infiltration aided by digital image analysis technique. The results indicated that the whole process of NAPLs migration can be recorded dynamically using the digital image analysis technique. The unstable flow "fingering" occurred in the process of infiltration. Fingering mechanisms such as splitting, coalescing, and shielding were observed in the process of fingering. Front morphology of the infiltration was influenced by the properties of porous media and fluids. The vertical migration rates and the growth rates of area development were positively correlated to the size of medium particle and the density of the NAPLs (except for toluene) in the process of infiltrating. The number of fingers and the wavelength of fingering were also closely correlated with the properties of media and fluid. DNAPLs infiltrated faster compared with LNAPLs, which resulted in larger pollution area within the same infiltration time. It can be concluded that the environmental risk of DNAPLs is significantly greater than the LNAPLs.

Publication types

  • English Abstract
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Environmental Pollution / prevention & control
  • Ethylene Dichlorides / analysis*
  • Gasoline / analysis*
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
  • Porosity
  • Tetrachloroethylene / analysis
  • Toluene / analysis
  • Water Movements*
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*

Substances

  • Ethylene Dichlorides
  • Gasoline
  • Water Pollutants, Chemical
  • Toluene
  • ethylene dichloride
  • Tetrachloroethylene