This paper shows a comparison between experiments carried out in a laboratory-scale sandbox where the migration of a dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), hydrofluoroether (HFE-7100), in a saturated porous medium was investigated, and validation was performed using high-resolution shock-capturing numerical simulations to resolve the nonlinear governing coupled partial differential equations of a three-phase immiscible fluid flow. The contaminant was released using a colored fluid as a tracer for a fixed time and pressures different from the atmospheric one into the saturated zone, first by using a column laboratory experiment, and then a sandbox-scale example with a hydraulic gradient. A digital image analysis procedure was used to determine the saturation distribution of the contaminant during its migration. These results are compared with the values determined for a DNAPL migration in a similar porous media through a numerical simulation. They show good agreement with the experimental results and also show that CactusHydro can follow the migration of a plume evolution very precisely and can also be used to evaluate the effects and environmental impacts deriving from leaks of DNAPL in saturated zones.

Migration of DNAPL in Saturated Porous Media: Validation of High-Resolution Shock-Capturing Numerical Simulations through a Sandbox Experiment / Feo, Alessandra; Celico, Fulvio; Zanini, Andrea. - In: WATER. - ISSN 2073-4441. - 15:8(2023). [10.3390/w15081471]

Migration of DNAPL in Saturated Porous Media: Validation of High-Resolution Shock-Capturing Numerical Simulations through a Sandbox Experiment

Feo, Alessandra
;
Celico, Fulvio;Zanini, Andrea
2023-01-01

Abstract

This paper shows a comparison between experiments carried out in a laboratory-scale sandbox where the migration of a dense nonaqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), hydrofluoroether (HFE-7100), in a saturated porous medium was investigated, and validation was performed using high-resolution shock-capturing numerical simulations to resolve the nonlinear governing coupled partial differential equations of a three-phase immiscible fluid flow. The contaminant was released using a colored fluid as a tracer for a fixed time and pressures different from the atmospheric one into the saturated zone, first by using a column laboratory experiment, and then a sandbox-scale example with a hydraulic gradient. A digital image analysis procedure was used to determine the saturation distribution of the contaminant during its migration. These results are compared with the values determined for a DNAPL migration in a similar porous media through a numerical simulation. They show good agreement with the experimental results and also show that CactusHydro can follow the migration of a plume evolution very precisely and can also be used to evaluate the effects and environmental impacts deriving from leaks of DNAPL in saturated zones.
2023
Migration of DNAPL in Saturated Porous Media: Validation of High-Resolution Shock-Capturing Numerical Simulations through a Sandbox Experiment / Feo, Alessandra; Celico, Fulvio; Zanini, Andrea. - In: WATER. - ISSN 2073-4441. - 15:8(2023). [10.3390/w15081471]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11381/2942651
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