Publication

Simulation of Clogging Phenomena in Natural Porous Media

2007
Student Projects

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the modelling of porosity and hydraulic conductivity changes in saturated porous media induced by the biological growth in pore space. Three different relationships between porosity changes and hydraulic conductivity changes as well as microorganism transport were implemented in the three- dimensional model for multi component reactive transport with variable density groundwater flow PHWAT. The model was then validated through data from laboratory sand box experiment found in the literature. Simulations show that the model is able to represent the behaviour of clogged media; however parameter estimation is needed to improve reliability. A brief investigation on bioclogging effects on soil heterogeneities has also been performed; the growth of biomass in the pore spaces seems to reduce permeability differences within the medium and to limit the forming of preferential paths.

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/231401b6-b32f-4616-83da-3dbb96d67ac1

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2007
Student Projects

Abstract

Official source

https://infoscience.epfl.ch/entities/publication/231401b6-b32f-4616-83da-3dbb96d67ac1

About this result

Related concepts (32)

Pore space in soil

The pore space of soil contains the liquid and gas phases of soil, i.e., everything but the solid phase that contains mainly minerals of varying sizes as well as organic compounds. In order to understand porosity better a series of equations have been used to express the quantitative interactions between the three phases of soil. Macropores or fractures play a major role in infiltration rates in many soils as well as preferential flow patterns, hydraulic conductivity and evapotranspiration.

Hydraulic conductivity

In science and engineering, hydraulic conductivity (K, in SI units of meters per second), is a property of porous materials, soils and rocks, that describes the ease with which a fluid (usually water) can move through the pore space, or fractures network. It depends on the intrinsic permeability (k, unit: m^2) of the material, the degree of saturation, and on the density and viscosity of the fluid. Saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ksat, describes water movement through saturated media.

Porosity

Porosity or void fraction is a measure of the void (i.e. "empty") spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume, between 0 and 1, or as a percentage between 0% and 100%. Strictly speaking, some tests measure the "accessible void", the total amount of void space accessible from the surface (cf. closed-cell foam). There are many ways to test porosity in a substance or part, such as industrial CT scanning.

Related publications (32)

Simulation of Clogging Phenomena in Natural Porous Media

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