Abstract
Abstract
Highlights
Predicting flow and transport processes in the subsurface is challenging, as the heterogeneous subsurface structure is usually not known
We studied in this paper the advective transport of solutes in an idealized heterogeneous porous medium consisting of a homogeneous background material with low permeability circular inclusions
In such media the distribution of flow, and solute if injected uniformly, between the matrix and the low permeability inclusions is given by the permeability ratio provided that the inclusion density is not very high
Summary
Predicting flow and transport processes in the subsurface is challenging, as the heterogeneous subsurface structure is usually not known. We use a Lagrangian approach to gain understanding of the stochastic principles of transport in random composite media through the analysis of advective trapping events in low conductivity inclusions, and the distribution of flow speeds sampled between them. This analysis facilitates the formulation of upscaled transport as a multi-trapping model. This is considered a first step towards a mobile–immobile mass transfer model of transport in highly heterogeneous media that includes advection and diffusion in the whole domain and that allows for parameter predictions based on a given structure.
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