HR: 11:35h
AN: H32A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: From Laboratory to the Field: Intermediate Scale Testing, a Necessary Step.
AU: * Illangasekare, T H
EM: tissa@mines.edu
AF: Colorado School of Mines, Environmental Science and Engineering 1600 Illinois St, Golden, CO 80401-1887
AB: Fundamental processes associated with water flow and transport and fate of chemicals, both dissolved and in separate phase, that occur at the microscopic pore scale will affect the large-scale evolution of chemical plumes in the subsurface. However, the ultimate transport and fate that define the spatial and time distribution of plume concentrations are significantly dependent on both the physical and chemical heterogeneity of subsurface formations. In attempting to understand, study and model the field behavior, the question always arises on how to transfer the pore-scale or the representative elementary volume scale observations and characterization data to the large field scales, incorporating the information on multi-dimensional flow fields and heterogeneity. In most cases, field systems are difficult to study due to their inherent complexity, inadequacy of characterization data, expense, and infeasibility in conducting controlled experiments. The author will make an argument that controlled experiments conducted in intermediate-scale laboratory test tanks even though difficult, is a necessary step in up-scaling the information from the laboratory to the field in studying a class of complex subsurface problems. Intermediate scale tank testing offers many advantages over complex and generally expensive field-testing. Testing conducted in two and there-dimensional test tanks in laboratory settings provides for better control, accurate characterization and higher precision achievable in data collection. The art and science of designing successful intermediate scale experiment require in-depth understanding of fundamentals, good engineering, understanding of capabilities and limitations of modeling tools, careful planning and patience. The author will share the knowledge gained and lessons learned from more than twenty years of experience in conducting such experiments involving water flow, solute transport, non-aqueous phase liquid behavior, site characterization and remediation. New advances made in sensing technologies, monitoring and data acquisition provide improved capabilities to design intermediate scale test systems. This allows for the study of many evolving and challenging problems related to the behavior and remediation of toxic chemicals in the subsurface.
UR: http://cesep.mines.edu
DE: 1831 Groundwater quality
DE: 1832 Groundwater transport
DE: 1894 Instruments and techniques
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly