Experimental and Numerical Investigation of DNAPL Dissolution Processes in a Laboratory Aquifer Model

Abstract

Results of a laboratory experiment used for quantifying the dissolution characteristics of a trichloroethene dense non‐aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) source entrapped in a three‐dimensional saturated sand tank model are presented. A numerical framework was developed to model the experimental results. In the numerical model, the transient NAPL dissolution processes were described using a modified version of a published dissolution model; the resulting transport equations were solved by the RT3D code. The modeling framework has been shown to be capable of simulating the observed results. Further, the modeling analysis identified three critical model parameters. A detailed sensitivity analysis was completed to study the effects of uncertainties associated with the model parameters. The integrated NAPL coupled contaminant transport model described in this work is a useful tool for forecasting the behavior of ground water plumes evolving from entrapped DNAPL sources.