Numerical modeling of three-dimensional contaminant migration from dissolution of multicomponent NAPL pools in saturated porous media

Journal Article · Sun Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1995 · Environmental Geology and Water Sciences

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00768737· OSTI ID:181882

Lee, K Y; Chrysikopoulos, C V ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)

A three-dimensional model for contaminant transport resulting form the dissolution of multicomponent nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) pools in three-dimensional saturated subsurface formations is developed. The solution is obtained numerically by a finite-difference scheme, and it is suitable for homogeneous porous media with unidirectional interstitial velocity. Each dissolved component may undergo first-order decay and may sorb under local equilibrium conditions. It is also assumed that the dissolution process is mass transfer limited. The non-aqueous phase activity coefficients of the NAPL pool components are evaluated at each time step. The model behavior is illustrated through a synthetic example with a NAPL pool consisting of a mixture of TCA (1,1,2-trichloroethane) and TCE(trichloroethylene). The numerical solution presented in this work is in good agreement with a recently developed analytical solution for the special case of a single component NAPL pool. The results indicate the importance of accounting for the necessary changes in the organic phase activity which significantly affects the equilibrium aqueous solubility. 27 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 181882
• Journal Information: Environmental Geology and Water Sciences, Journal Name: Environmental Geology and Water Sciences Journal Issue: 3 Vol. 26; ISSN EGWSEI; ISSN 0177-5146
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CONTAMINATION
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
POLLUTANTS
POROUS MATERIALS
SOILS
WATER SATURATION