Solute dispersion under electric and pressure driven flows; pore scale processes

Abstract

Solute dispersion is one of the major mixing mechanisms in transport through porous media, originating from velocity variations at different scales, starting from the pore scale. Different driving forces, such as pressure driven flow (PDF) and electro-osmotic flow (EOF), establish different velocity profiles within individual pores, resulting in different spreading of solutes at this scale. While the velocity profile in PDF is parabolic due to the wall friction effects, the velocity in EOF is typically plug flow, due to the wall charge effects. In this study, we applied a pore network modeling formulation to simulate the velocity field driven by pressure and electric potential to calculate and compare the corresponding average solute dispersivity values. The influence of different driving forces on the hydrodynamic dispersion of a tracer solute is investigated. Applying the pore network modeling, we could capture the velocity variations among different pores, which is the main contribution for the dispersion coefficient. The correlation between pore velocities against pore sizes is found to be different for EOF and PDF, causing different solute dispersion coefficients. The results can provide insight into modeling of electrokinetic remediation for contaminant cleanup in low permeable soils.