Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1992. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaf 78). Also available via the Internet.

published_or_final_version / Mechanical Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This work focuses on solute mass transport in a highly heterogeneous two-region porous medium consisting of spherical low-hydraulic conductivity inclusions, embedded in a high-hydraulic conductivity matrix. The transport processes occuring in the system are described by three distinct time scales. The first time scale reflects the characteristic time for convective transport in the high-conductivity matrix. The second time scale reflects the characteristic time for diffusive transport in the low-conductivity inclusions. The third time scale reflects the characteristic time for convection within the inclusions. Two Péclet numbers can be defined that compare the time scales and provide qualitative insight into the net transport behavior in two-region media. To model this system, four different representations were developed: (1) a Darcy-scale model that involved direct microscale computation over the entire domain of the experimental system, (2) a direct microscale simulation computed on a simplified domain that had similar geometric parameters (e.g. volume fraction of inclusions) as the complete domain for the experimental system, (3) a volume averaged model (after Chastanet and Wood [2008]) which uses a constant mass transfer coefficient and (4) a volume averaged model which employs a time-dependent mass transfer coefficient. Two different experimental conditions were investigated: a high flow rate, and a low flow rate. Detailed understanding of the experimental system was developed, which led to accurate prediction of the system's behavior for the higher flow rate. Accurate early time fit of the data was achieved for the experiment with the lower flow rate, while late time behavior between the models and experimental data diverged. Further investigations of the experimental system were conducted to examine possible sources of errors that could lead to an inaccurate description of the system's properties. Additional mixing within the system, inhomogeneous distribution of the effective diffusion coefficient and imprecise initial estimates of the hydraulic parameters are all possible explanations for the inaccurate model representation of the system's behavior for the lower flow rate case. / Graduation date: 2012

published_or_final_version / abstract / Chemistry / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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