H2020Индивидуална стипендия2019–2021

UnsatPorMix · Impact of structural heterogeneity on solute transport and mixing in unsaturated porous media

„Хоризонт 2020“ — Действия „Мария Склодовска-Кюри“

Период: 2019-09-01 → 2021-08-31
Финансиране от ЕС: 196 708 €
Участници: 1
Схема: MSCA-IF-EF-ST

Линиите свързват координатора с партньорите.

Накратко на български

Структурата на порестите среди, като почвите, определя как се движат в тях разтворени вещества, например торове или замърсители. Разбирането на тези процеси помага за по-доброто управление на здравето на почвите и предотвратяването на замърсяването на подземните води.

Този кратък обзор е генериран от изкуствен интелект

Кратко обяснение, генерирано от езиков модел по текста на CORDIS. Оригиналът е по-долу.

Резултати накратко

Impact of structural heterogeneity on solute transport and mixing in unsaturated porous media

Water flow and dissolved material transport are common phenomena in the natural environment, specifically in soils, riverbeds, and groundwater reservoirs. These environmental niches generally termed "porous media," are characterized by complex internal structures. These structures are created by the arrangement of solid grains, which form a network of small voids, or pores, between them. The dissolved materials in question can vary significantly in form and characteristics, including dissolved salts, fertilizer, organic and inorganic pollutants, etc. Critical environmental processes depend on the transport of these dissolved materials, including groundwater pollution and the health and fertility of soils. In many cases, the porous medium conducting the flow - the soil or the sediment - is not saturated with water. In such instances, flow is maintained only through a particular medium part that still conducts water. We find this type of unsaturated water flow in soils and the unsaturated zone located beneath the soil and above the groundwater level. The distribution of water in an unsaturated porous medium can vary significantly with the internal structure of the medium. It is also known (but not entirely understood) that the connectivity and form of the water-conducting part of the medium significantly impact solute transport processes. The overall objective of UnsatPorMix is, therefore, to improve our understanding of the connection between porous medium structure and the transport of solutes under unsaturated flow conditions. We will initially approach this topic experimentally by developing an experimental system that will allow the acquisition of high-resolution images of solute transport in unsaturated transparent porous medium samples. Different structures will characterize the samples, and we will compare saturated and unsaturated flow conditions. The results of the experiments will provide new insight into the fundamental mechanisms controlling solute transport in the natural environment. The experimental results will be the basis for developing improved models that will allow us to predict the behavior of solutes in the environment.

Текст от CORDIS, на английски · Данни: CORDIS, © Европейски съюз

Цел на проекта

Solute transport in unsaturated porous media plays a crucial role in environmental processes affecting soils, aquifers, and carbon capture and storage operations. Natural porous media are characterized by various degrees of structural heterogeneity in the pore size distribution, spatial arrangements and spatial correlations. The impact of this pore-scale heterogeneity on the spreading of a solute plume, its mixing with other solutes, and the resulting reaction rates, is not well understood for unsaturated flow. Since these processes take place at pore scale, direct pore scale experimental measurements are needed to gain comprehensive understanding of them. The aim of UnsatPorMix is thus to elucidate the impact of structural pore-scale heterogeneity on solute spreading/mixing and reaction rates during unsaturated flow, through the combination of micromodel experiments and numerical model simulations. In the first stage of UnsatPorMix, experiments in micromodels with varying degrees of heterogeneity will provide unprecedented results on the phenomenology of pore-scale mechanisms and their effect on solute spreading and mixing. In the second stage, the experimental measurements of phase distribution and solute concentrations, combined to numerically-computed pore scale velocities, will be used to design and validate a pore-scale model for solute transport in these porous media. This model will allow obtaining a large representative numerical data set, enabling statistical analysis and the derivation of quantitative relations between structural heterogeneity and solute transport/mixing. UnsatPorMix will make a significant contribution to the modelling of, and risk assessment for, the various subsurface phenomena and applications cited above. During UnsatPorMix, the applicant will acquire a set of invaluable experimental skills and modeling expertise which will enable him to become an independent researcher and expert in flow and transport in unsaturated porous media.

Оригинален текст от CORDIS (на английски).

Участници

UNIVERSITE DE RENNES I · RENNES CEDEXКоординаторФранция