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Measuring Air-Water Interfacial Area in Unsaturated Porous Media Using the Interfacial Partitioning Tracer Test Method

Interfacial partitioning tracer tests (IPTT) are one method available for measuring air-water interfacial area (A(ia)).This study used the standard approach comprising tracer injection under steady unsaturated-flow conditions with a uniform water-saturation distribution within the column. Sodium dodecylbezene sulfonate (SDBS) and pentafluorobenzoic acid (PFBA) were used as the partitioning and nonreactive tracers, respectively. Three types of porous media were used for the study: a sandy soil, a well-sorted sand, and glass beads. Initial water saturations, S(w), were approximately 80%, 80%, and 26 % for the soil, sand, and glass beads, respectively. Water saturation was monitored gravimetrically during the experiments. The maximum interfacial areas (A(ia)/(1-S(w))) calculated from the results of the experiments are compared among the three porous media used in this work, and compared to previous air-water interfacial area studies.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/297008
Date January 2013
CreatorsEl Ouni, Asma
ContributorsBrusseau, Mark L., Curry, Joan E., Zhong, Hua
PublisherThe University of Arizona.
Source SetsUniversity of Arizona
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish
Typetext, Electronic Thesis
RightsCopyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.

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