Engineering Commons^™

Dissolution Of Entrapped Dnapls In Variable Aperture Fractures: Experimental Data And Empirical Model, Sarah E. Dickson, Neil R. Thomson

Sarah E Dickson

An appreciation of the dissolution from entrapped nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in fractures is essential as we attempt to understand and predict the fate of NAPLs present in fractured rock systems. Eight long-term dissolution experiments using 1,1,1-trichloroethane and trichloroethylene were conducted in two laboratory-scale dolomitic limestone variable aperture fractures under various conditions. Between 560 and 2600 fracture volumes of water were passed through the fractures resulting in the removal of 10−60% of the initial mass trapped. The effluent concentration profiles revealed three distinct and characteristic stages of dissolution:  an initial pseudosteady stage, a transient stage, and a tailing stage. On …