Reactive transport in the complex heterogeneous alluvial aquifer of Fortymile Wash, Nevada

Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Sun, Alexander; Dai, Zhenxue

doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.03.136

Reactive transport in the complex heterogeneous alluvial aquifer of Fortymile Wash, Nevada

Journal Article · Sun Apr 02 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Chemosphere

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.03.136· OSTI ID:1412876

Soltanian, Mohamad Reza ^[1]; Sun, Alexander ^[2]; Dai, Zhenxue ^[3]

The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States). School of Earth Sciences
Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Jackson School of Geosciences, Bureau of Economic Geology
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Jilin Univ., Changchun (China). College of Construction Engineering

Yucca Mountain, Nevada, had been extensively investigated as a potential deep geologic repository for storing high-level nuclear wastes. Previous field investigations of stratified alluvial aquifer downstream of the site revealed that there is a hierarchy of sedimentary facies types. There is a corresponding log conductivity and reactive surface area subpopulations within each facies at each scale of sedimentary architecture. Here in this paper, we use a Lagrangian-based transport model in order to analyze radionuclide dispersion in the saturated alluvium of Fortymile Wash, Nevada. First, we validate the Lagrangian model using high-resolution flow and reactive transport simulations. Then, we used the validated model to investigate how each scale of sedimentary architecture may affect long-term radionuclide transport at Yucca Mountain. Results show that the reactive solute dispersion developed by the Lagrangian model matches the ensemble average of numerical simulations well. The link between the alluvium spatial variability and reactive solute dispersion at different spatiotemporal scales is demonstrated using the Lagrangian model. Finally, the longitudinal dispersivity of the reactive plume can be on the order of hundreds to thousands of meters, and it may not reach its asymptotic value even after 10,000 years of travel time and 2–3 km of travel distance.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396

OSTI ID:: 1412876

Report Number(s):: LA-UR--17-28163

Journal Information:: Chemosphere, Journal Name: Chemosphere Journal Issue: C Vol. 179; ISSN 0045-6535

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

References (47)

A new method for analysis of variance of the hydraulic and reactive attributes of aquifers as linked to hierarchical and multiscaled sedimentary architecture Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Ritzi, Robert W. Water Resources Research, Vol. 50, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1002/2014WR015468	journal	December 2014
Multiscale hyporheic exchange through strongly heterogeneous sediments Pryshlak, Timothy T.; Sawyer, Audrey H.; Stonedahl, Susa H. Water Resources Research, Vol. 51, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR017293	journal	November 2015
Influence of small‐scale fluvial architecture on CO ₂ trapping processes in deep brine reservoirs Gershenzon, Naum I.; Ritzi, Robert W.; Dominic, David F. Water Resources Research, Vol. 51, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR017638	journal	October 2015
Transport of kinetically sorbing solutes in heterogeneous sediments with multimodal conductivity and hierarchical organization across scales Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Ritzi, Robert; Dai, Zhenxue Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, Vol. 29, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-014-0922-3	journal	July 2014
Statistic inversion of multi-zone transition probability models for aquifer characterization in alluvial fans Zhu, Lin; Dai, Zhenxue; Gong, Huili Stochastic Environmental Research and Risk Assessment, Vol. 30, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-015-1089-2	journal	June 2015
A Note on Upscaling Retardation Factor in Hierarchical Porous Media with Multimodal Reactive Mineral Facies Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Ritzi, Robert; Huang, Chao Cheng Transport in Porous Media, Vol. 108, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-015-0480-2	journal	March 2015
The saturated zone at Yucca Mountain: an overview of the characterization and assessment of the saturated zone as a barrier to potential radionuclide migration Eddebbarh, A. A.; Zyvoloski, G. A.; Robinson, B. A. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 62-63 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7722(02)00154-7	journal	April 2003
Radionuclide transport simulation and uncertainty analyses with the saturated-zone site-scale model at Yucca Mountain, Nevada Arnold, B. W.; Kuzio, S. P.; Robinson, B. A. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 62-63 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7722(02)00158-4	journal	April 2003
Modeling dispersion in three-dimensional heterogeneous fractured media at Yucca Mountain McKenna, Sean A.; Walker, Douglas D.; Arnold, Bill Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 62-63 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7722(02)00189-4	journal	April 2003
Numerical modeling of macrodispersion in heterogeneous media: a comparison of multi-Gaussian and non-multi-Gaussian models Wen, Xian-Huan; Gómez-Hernández, J. Jaime Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 30, Issue 1-2 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7722(97)00035-1	journal	March 1998
Overview of scientific investigations at Yucca Mountain—the potential repository for high-level nuclear waste Bodvarsson, G. S.; Boyle, W.; Patterson, R. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 38, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7722(99)00009-1	journal	May 1999
Calibrating hydrogeologic parameters for the 3-D site-scale unsaturated zone model of Yucca Mountain, Nevada Bandurraga, T. M.; Bodvarsson, G. S. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 38, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7722(99)00010-8	journal	May 1999
Multi-length-scale theories for scale-up problem and renormalized perturbation expansion Zhang, Qiang Advances in Water Resources, Vol. 20, Issue 5-6 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1708(96)00048-6	journal	October 1997
Scaling of flow and transport behavior in heterogeneous groundwater systems Scheibe, Timothy; Yabusaki, Steven Advances in Water Resources, Vol. 22, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1708(98)00014-1	journal	November 1998
Upscaling of solute transport in disordered porous media by wavelet transformations Moslehi, Mahsa; de Barros, Felipe P. J.; Ebrahimi, Fatemeh Advances in Water Resources, Vol. 96 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2016.07.013	journal	October 2016
A comparison of Eulerian and Lagrangian transport and non-linear reaction algorithms Benson, David A.; Aquino, Tomás; Bolster, Diogo Advances in Water Resources, Vol. 99 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2016.11.003	journal	January 2017
Upscaling retardation factor in hierarchical porous media with multimodal reactive mineral facies Deng, Hailin; Dai, Zhenxue; Wolfsberg, Andrew V. Chemosphere, Vol. 91, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2012.10.105	journal	April 2013
Reactive solute transport in physically and chemically heterogeneous porous media with multimodal reactive mineral facies: The Lagrangian approach Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Ritzi, Robert W.; Dai, Zhenxue Chemosphere, Vol. 122 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2014.11.064	journal	March 2015
Influence of Small Scale Heterogeneity on CO2 Trapping Processes in Deep Saline Aquifers Gershenzon, Naum I.; Soltanian, Mohamadreza; Ritzi, Robert W. Energy Procedia, Vol. 59 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.10.363	journal	January 2014
A review and numerical assessment of the random walk particle tracking method Salamon, Peter; Fernàndez-Garcia, Daniel; Gómez-Hernández, J. Jaime Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 87, Issue 3-4 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2006.05.005	journal	October 2006
Mixing, spreading and reaction in heterogeneous media: A brief review Dentz, Marco; Le Borgne, Tanguy; Englert, Andreas Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 120-121 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2010.05.002	journal	March 2011
A theoretical framework for modeling dilution enhancement of non-reactive solutes in heterogeneous porous media de Barros, F. P. J.; Fiori, A.; Boso, F. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, Vol. 175-176 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2015.01.004	journal	April 2015
Geological and physicochemical controls of the spatial distribution of partition coefficients for radionuclides (Sr-90, Cs-137, Co-60, Pu-239,240 and Am-241) at a site of nuclear reactors and radioactive waste disposal (St. Petersburg region, Russian Federation) Rumynin, Vyacheslav G.; Nikulenkov, Anton M. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, Vol. 162-163 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2016.05.030	journal	October 2016
Transport in heterogeneous sediments with multimodal conductivity and hierarchical organization across scales Dai, Zhenxue; Ritzi, Robert W.; Huang, Chaocheng Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 294, Issue 1-3 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2003.10.024	journal	July 2004
What have we learned from deterministic geostatistics at highly resolved field sites, as relevant to mass transport processes in sedimentary aquifers? Ritzi, Robert W.; Soltanian, Mohamad Reza Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 531 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2015.07.049	journal	December 2015
Solute transport in heterogeneous porous formations Dagan, Gedeon Journal of Fluid Mechanics, Vol. 145, Issue -1 https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022112084002858	journal	August 1984
On stochastic modeling of flow in multimodal heterogeneous formations: FLOW IN MULTIMODAL HETEROGENEOUS FORMATIONS Lu, Zhiming; Zhang, Dongxiao Water Resources Research, Vol. 38, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1029/2001WR001026	journal	October 2002
Macrodispersivity for transport in arbitrary nonuniform flow fields: Asymptotic and preasymptotic results: MACRODISPERSIVITY IN NON-UNIFORM FLOW FIELDS Lunati, Ivan; Attinger, Sabine; Kinzelbach, Wolfgang Water Resources Research, Vol. 38, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1029/2001WR001203	journal	October 2002
Spatial correlation of permeability in cross-stratified sediment with hierarchical architecture: PERMEABILITY CORRELATION IN CROSS-STRATIFIED SEDIMENT Ritzi, Robert W.; Dai, Zhenxue; Dominic, David F. Water Resources Research, Vol. 40, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1029/2003WR002420	journal	March 2004
Improving permeability semivariograms with transition probability models of hierarchical sedimentary architecture derived from outcrop analog studies: IMPROVING PERMEABILITY SEMIVARIOGRAMS Dai, Zhenxue; Ritzi, Robert W.; Dominic, David F. Water Resources Research, Vol. 41, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1029/2004WR003515	journal	July 2005
Impact of upscaling on solute transport: Traveltimes, scale dependence of dispersivity, and propagation of uncertainty: IMPACT OF UPSCALING Fernàndez-Garcia, D.; Gómez-Hernández, J. J. Water Resources Research, Vol. 43, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1029/2005WR004727	journal	February 2007
Spatial variability in river sediments and its link with river channel geometry: SPATIAL VARIABILITY IN RIVER SEDIMENTS Rubin, Yoram; Lunt, Ian A.; Bridge, John S. Water Resources Research, Vol. 42, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1029/2005WR004853	journal	June 2006
Characterization and modeling of spatial variability in a complex alluvial aquifer: Implications on solute transport: SPATIAL VARIABILITY IN AN ALLUVIAL AQUIFER Sun, Alexander Y.; Ritzi, Robert W.; Sims, Darrell W. Water Resources Research, Vol. 44, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1029/2007WR006119	journal	April 2008
Scale dependence of sorption coefficients for contaminant transport in saturated fractured rock Dai, Zhenxue; Wolfsberg, Andrew; Lu, Zhiming Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 36, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/2008GL036516	journal	January 2009
Simulation of chemical reaction via particle tracking: Diffusion-limited versus thermodynamic rate-limited regimes: RAPID COMMUNICATION Benson, David A.; Meerschaert, Mark M. Water Resources Research, Vol. 44, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR007111	journal	December 2008
Linear equilibrium adsorbing solute transport in physically and chemically heterogeneous porous formations: 1. Analytical solutions Bellin, Alberto; Rinaldo, Andrea; Bosma, Willem Jan P. Water Resources Research, Vol. 29, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1029/93WR02303	journal	December 1993
Flow and Transport in Bimodal Heterogeneous Formations Rubin, Yoram Water Resources Research, Vol. 31, Issue 10 https://doi.org/10.1029/95WR01953	journal	October 1995
Random-Walk Simulation of Transport in Heterogeneous Porous Media: Local Mass-Conservation Problem and Implementation Methods LaBolle, Eric M.; Fogg, Graham E.; Tompson, Andrew F. B. Water Resources Research, Vol. 32, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1029/95WR03528	journal	March 1996
The influence of pore-scale dispersion on concentration statistical moments in transport through heterogeneous aquifers Dagan, Gedeon; Fiori, Aldo Water Resources Research, Vol. 33, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1029/97WR00803	journal	July 1997
Three-dimensional stochastic analysis of macrodispersion in aquifers Gelhar, Lynn W.; Axness, Carl L. Water Resources Research, Vol. 19, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1029/WR019i001p00161	journal	February 1983
Critical Dynamics of Gravito-Convective Mixing in Geological Carbon Sequestration Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Amooie, Mohammad Amin; Dai, Zhenxue Scientific Reports, Vol. 6, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1038/srep35921	journal	November 2016
Dispersion in porous media, continuous-time random walks, and percolation Sahimi, Muhammad Physical Review E, Vol. 85, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.85.016316	journal	January 2012
The Influence of Streambed Heterogeneity on Hyporheic Flow in Gravelly Rivers: Y. Zhou etal. Ground Water XX, no. X: XXXX Zhou, YaoQuan; Ritzi, Robert W.; Soltanian, Mohamad Reza Groundwater, Vol. 52, Issue 2 https://doi.org/10.1111/gwat.12048	journal	April 2013
Modeling Multiscale Heterogeneity and Aquifer Interconnectivity Proce, Christopher J.; Ritzi, Robert W.; Dominic, David F. Ground Water, Vol. 42, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.2004.tb02720.x	journal	September 2004
How does the connectivity of open-framework conglomerates within multi-scale hierarchical fluvial architecture affect oil-sweep efficiency in waterflooding? Gershenzon, Naum I.; Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Ritzi, Robert W. Geosphere, Vol. 11, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01115.1	journal	October 2015
Understanding the impact of open-framework conglomerates on water–oil displacements: the Victor interval of the Ivishak Reservoir, Prudhoe Bay Field, Alaska Gershenzon, Naum I.; Soltanian, Mohamadreza; Ritzi, Robert W. Petroleum Geoscience, Vol. 21, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2014-017	journal	December 2014
Modeling Mass Transfer Processes in Soil Columns with Pore-Scale Heterogeneity Haggerty, Roy; Gorelick, Steven M. Soil Science Society of America Journal, Vol. 62, Issue 1 https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1998.03615995006200010009x	journal	January 1998

Cited By (2)

Transport of perfluorocarbon tracers in the Cranfield Geological Carbon Sequestration Project: Modeling and Analysis: Transport of perfluorocarbon tracers in the Cranfield Geological Carbon Sequestration Project Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Amooie, Mohammad Amin; Cole, David Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, Vol. 8, Issue 4 https://doi.org/10.1002/ghg.1786	journal	June 2018
Modeling Influence of Sediment Heterogeneity on Nutrient Cycling in Streambeds Pescimoro, Eugenio; Boano, Fulvio; Sawyer, Audrey H. Water Resources Research, Vol. 55, Issue 5 https://doi.org/10.1029/2018wr024221	journal	May 2019

Similar Records

Geomorphic Characterization of the FortyMile Wash Alluvial Fan, Nye County, Nevada, In Support of the Yucca Mountain Project

Technical Report · Tue Sep 06 00:00:00 EDT 2005 · OSTI ID:899277

Late cenozoic evolution of Fortymile Wash: Major change in drainage pattern in the Yucca Mountain, Nevada region during late miocene volcanism

Conference · Thu Mar 31 23:00:00 EST 1994 · OSTI ID:145259

Selected hydrologic data from Fortymile Wash in the Yucca Mountain area, Nevada, water years 1993--94

Technical Report · Sun Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1996 · OSTI ID:379006

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
Alluvial aquifer
Fortymile Wash Nevada
Hierarchical porous media
Lagrangian theory
Numerical simulation
Reactive transport

Reactive transport in the complex heterogeneous alluvial aquifer of Fortymile Wash, Nevada

Citation Formats

References (47)

Cited By (2)

Similar Records

Related Subjects