Contaminant Transport

Equations
Transport Processes
Advection
The process by which solutes are transported by the
bulk of motion of the flowing ground water.
Nonreactive solutes are carried at an average rate
equal to the average linear velocity of the water.

Hydrodynamic Dispersion
Tendency of the solute to spread out from the
advective path
Two processes
Diffusion (molecular)
Dispersion

Diffusion
Ions (molecular constituents) in solution move under
the influence of kinetic activity in direction of their
concentration gradients.
Occurs in the absence of any bulk hydraulic
movement
Diffusive flux is proportional to concentration
gradient, in accordance to Ficks First Law.



Where D
m
= diffusion coefficient (typically 1 x 10
-5
to
2 x 10
-5
cm
2/
s for major ions in ground water)


F = D
m
dc
dx
|
\

|
.
|
Diffusion (continued)
Ficks Second Law - derived from
Ficks First Law and the Continuity
Equation - called Diffusion Equation


cC
ct
= D
m
c
2
C
cx
2
|
\

|
.
|
Advection Dispersion Equation -
Derivation (F is transport)
Assumptions:
1) Porous medium is homogenous
2) Porous medium is isotropic
3) Porous medium is saturated
4) Flow is steady-state
5) Darcys Law applies


F
z
+
cF
z
cz
|
\

|
.
|
dz

F
y
+
cF
y
cy
|
\

|
.
|
dy

F
x

F
z

F
y

F
x
+
cF
x
cx
|
\

|
.
|
dx
Advection Dispersion Equation
In the x-direction:
Transport by advection =


Transport by dispersion =

Where:
= average linear velocity
n = porosity (constant for unit of volume)
C = concentration of solute
dA = elemental cross-sectional area of cubic
element

v
x
nCdA units
M
T

nD
x
cC
cx
|
\

|
.
|
dA

units
M
T

v
Hydrodynamic Dispersion D
x
caused by variations
In the velocity field and heterogeneities
where:
= dispersivity [L]
= Molecular diffusion

D
x
=o
x
v
x
+ D
m

o
x

D
m
Flux = (mass/area/time)

(-) sign before dispersion term indicates that the
contaminant moves toward lower concentrations



Total amount of solute entering the cubic element

= F
x
dydz + F
y
dxdz + F
z
dxdy

F
x
= v
x
nC nD
x
cC
cx
|
\

|
.
|

F
x
= v
x
nC nD
x
cC
cx
|
\

|
.
|
Difference in amount entering and leaving
element =


For nonreactive solute, difference between
flux in and out = amount accumulated within
element

Rate of mass change in element =


cF
x
cx
+
cF
y
cy
+
cF
z
cz
|
\

|
.
|
dxdydz

n
cC
ct
|
\

|
.
|
dxdydz
Equate two equations and divide by dV =
dxdydz:


Substitute for fluxes and cancel n:





For a homogenous and isotropic medium, is
steady and uniform.

cF
x
cx
|
\

|
.
|
+
cF
y
cy
|
\

|
.
|
+
cF
z
cz
|
\

|
.
|
= n
cC
ct
|
\

|
.
|

c
cx
v
x
C
( )
+
c
cy
v
y
C
( )
+
c
cz
v
z
C
( )



(

(
+

c
cx
D
x
cC
cx
|
\

|
.
|



(

(
+
c
cy
D
y
cC
cy
|
\

|
.
|



(

(
+
c
cz
D
z
cC
cz
|
\

|
.
|



(

(




`
)

=
cC
ct

v
Therefore, D
x
, D
y
, and D
z
do not vary
through space.
Advection-Dispersion Equation 3-D:





D
x
c
2
C
cx
2
|
\

|
.
|
+ D
y
c
2
C
cy
2
|
\

|
.
|
+ Dz
c
2
C
cz
2
|
\

|
.
|



(

(

v
x
cC
cx
|
\

|
.
|
+ v
y
cC
cy
|
\

|
.
|
+ v
z
cC
cz
|
\

|
.
|



(

(
=
cC
ct

In 1-Dimension, the Ad - Disp
equation becomes:


cC
ct
+ v
x
cC
cx
|
\

|
.
|
= D
x
c
2
C
cx
2
|
\

|
.
|
Accumulation Advection Dispersion
CONTINUOUS SOURCE
Soln for 1-D EQN for can be found using
LaPlace Transform








1-D soil column breakthru curves


C
o

L
v
x

C/C
0

t
t = L/v
x

Solution can be written:



or, in most cases


Where

(Ogato & Banks, 1961)

C
C
0
=
1
2
Erfc
L v
x
t
4D
x
t
|
\


|
.
|
|
+
1
2
|
\

|
.
|
Exp
v
x
L
D
x
|
\

|
.
|
Erfc
L v
x
t
4D
x
t
|
\


|
.
|
|

C
C
0
=
1
2
Erfc
L v
x
t
4D
x
t
|
\


|
.
|
|

Erf c(B) =1 Erf (B)
Erf (B) =
2
t
e
z
2
0
B
}
dz
Tabulated error
function
Instantaneous Sources
Advection-Dispersion Only
Instantaneous POINT Source 3-D:



M = C
0
V
D = (D
x
D
y
D
z
)
1/3


C x, y, z, t
( )
=
M
4tDt
( )
3
2
exp
(x vt)
2
4D
x
t

y
2
4D
y
t

z
2
4D
z
t
|
\


|
.
|
|
Continuous Source
Instantaneous LINE Source 2-D Well:
With First Order Decay







C x, y,t
( )
=
m
4tDt
exp
(x vt)
2
4D
x
t

y
2
4D
y
t
kt
|
\


|
.
|
|

k = f irstorder
decay (t
1
)
m = C
o
A
D= D
x
D
y
Source
Plan View
T
1

T
2

x
Instantaneous PLANE Source - 1 Dimension




Adv/Disp Equation



C x,t
( )
=
M
4tD
x
t
Exp
(x vt)
2
4D
x
t
|
\

|
.
|

M =
mass
area
C/C
0

t
T = L/v
x


cC
ct
+ v
x
cC
cx
|
\

|
.
|
= D
x
c
2
C
cx
2
|
\

|
.
|
L