HR: 0830h
AN: H21D-0844    [PDF]
TI: Non-Aqueous Phase Liquid Drop Formation Within a Water Saturated Fracture
AU: * Pumphrey, K M
EM: kent.pumphrey@fluor.com
AF: University of California,Irvine, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering Engineering Gateway E4130 Irvine CA 92697-2175, Irvine, CA 92697-2175 United States
AU: Chrysikopoulos, C V
EM: costas@eng.uci.edu
AF: University of California,Irvine, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering Engineering Gateway E4130 Irvine CA 92697-2175, Irvine, CA 92697-2175 United States
AB: This work focuses on the mechanisms for non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) drop formation within a single fracture. The fracture is assumed to be fully saturated, the relative wettability of the system is assumed water-wet, and the water velocity profile within the fracture is described by a Poiseuille flow. The size of the NAPL drops is investigated for various water flow velocities and NAPL entrance diameters. A force balancing method was used to determine the instant that the drop detaches from its NAPL source. The drop sizes calculated from the model developed here are shown to be in agreement with available experimental drop size data. It is shown that at low Reynolds numbers the buoyancy force is dominating the force acting on the drop during the formation process and at high Reynolds numbers the viscous forces dominate. A simplified expression relating the geometry of the fractured system to the drop radii is developed, and it is shown to predict drop radii within 5% of the radii calculated by the force balance method.
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1831 Groundwater quality
DE: 1832 Groundwater transport
DE: 1899 General or miscellaneous
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting