Laboratory and simulation studies of solute transport in fractured porous media

Torben Obel Sonnenborg, Charlotte Tofteng, Michael Brian Butts

    Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

    Abstract

    Laboratory investigations of flow and transport in a fractured porous medium are presented. First, by hydraulic and transport experiments the porous matrix material alone was characterized with respect to all relevant properties. A two-dimensional experimental cell was then constructed containing the porous matrix material bisected by a single fracture. Secondly, this matrix/fracture system was characterized hydraulically through single-phase flow experiments to determine the effective conductivity for the total system and the hydraulic aperture of the fractures. Additional information about the fracture system was obtained from solute transport experiments, where breakthrough curves of a conservative tracer were measured at the outlet of the flume. By isolating outflow from the fracture and from different sections of the matrix these experiments provide dispersivity values for the fracture and information about fracture/matrix interaction. Comparison with numerical simulations shows that aperture variations significantly influence the solute transfer between the matrix and the fracture.
    Original languageEnglish
    Book seriesProgress report
    Issue number76
    Pages (from-to)49-61
    Publication statusPublished - 1996

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Laboratory and simulation studies of solute transport in fractured porous media'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this