A simple method of transport parameter estimation for slug injecting tracer tests in porous media

Liang, Xiuyu1,2; Zhan, Hongbin3; Liu, Jin4; Dong, Guiming5; Zhang, You-Kuan1,2

2018-12-10

10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.06.330

SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT   影响因子和分区

0048-9697

1879-1026

Slug (instantaneous injection) tracer tests can be used effectively to determinate solute transport parameters in porous media such as pore velocities and dispersivities, which are usually estimated with curve-fitting methods. This study proposes a simple method to estimate conservative and reactive solute transport parameters in one-, two- and three- dimensional domains with uniform flow fields based on peak times of slug tracer tests. This method requires fewer measured data than traditional curve-fitting methods. The accuracy of the method depends on the time-interval of measurement that is the time interval used in collecting observed concentrations of solutes. The error of the pore velocity estimate is very small (less than 3%) even for a relatively large time interval of measurement. The error of the dispersivity estimate increases with the time-interval (Delta t) of measurement significantly. For 1-D case, the relative error increases from 0.29% at Delta t of 0.1 min to 17.12% at Delta t of 6 min. Such an error can be reduced by refining the time-interval of measurement near the actual peak time of breakthrough curves. The error of the dispersivity estimate decreases when the retardation factor increases. The first-order decay rate constant in the liquid hardly influences the accuracies of both pore velocity and dispersivity estimates. The proposed method is applied on laboratory sand column tests. The results indicate that the estimated pore velocities and dispersivities are almost the same to that of the curves-fitting method. This method can be employed easily by scientists and practitioners for parameter estimations in laboratory column experiments if advection-dispersion equation is applicable. This method can also be used for parameter estimation of heat transport in a laboratory column experiment if a slug heat source is injected into a porous media with the presence of a uniform flow field. Limitations of the study have also been addressed. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Injection tracer tests Parameter estimation Breakthrough curves Inverse process

SCI ; EI

英语

第一

program "The Social Development-Science & Technology Demonstration Projects" - Department of Science and Technology of Jiangsu Province[BE2015708]

Environmental Sciences & Ecology

Environmental Sciences

WOS:000445164000157

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

20182905547899

Curve fitting ; Decay (organic) ; Errors ; Flow fields ; Molar mass ; Porous materials ; Radioactive tracers ; Rate constants ; Solute transport ; Testing ; Velocity

Fluid Flow, General:631.1 ; Physical Chemistry:801.4 ; Chemical Reactions:802.2 ; Chemical Agents and Basic Industrial Chemicals:803 ; Numerical Methods:921.6 ; Classical Physics; Quantum Theory; Relativity:931 ; Materials Science:951

ENVIRONMENT/ECOLOGY

Web of Science

1.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Sch Environm Sci & Engn, Guangdong Prov Key Lab Soil & Groundwater Pollut, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, Peoples R China
2.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Sch Environm Sci & Engn, State Environm Protect Key Lab Integrated Surface, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, Peoples R China
3.Texas A&M Univ, Dept Geol & Geophys, College Stn, TX 77843 USA
4.Nanjing Univ, Sch Earth Sci & Engn, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu, Peoples R China
5.China Univ Mining & Technol, Sch Resources & Geosci, Xuzhou 221116, Jiangsu, Peoples R China

Liang, Xiuyu,Zhan, Hongbin,Liu, Jin,et al. A simple method of transport parameter estimation for slug injecting tracer tests in porous media[J]. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT,2018,644:1536-1546.

Liang, Xiuyu,Zhan, Hongbin,Liu, Jin,Dong, Guiming,&Zhang, You-Kuan.(2018).A simple method of transport parameter estimation for slug injecting tracer tests in porous media.SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT,644,1536-1546.

Liang, Xiuyu,et al."A simple method of transport parameter estimation for slug injecting tracer tests in porous media".SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 644(2018):1536-1546.