Model for Consolidation-Induced Solute Transport with Nonlinear and Nonequilibrium Sorption

Abstract

A numerical model, called CST2, is presented for coupled large strain consolidation and solute transport in saturated porous media. The consolidation and solute transport algorithms include the capabilities of a previous model, CST1, with the addition of a variable effective diffusion coefficient during consolidation and nonlinear nonequilibrium sorption. The model is based on a dual-Lagrangian framework that tracks separately the motions of fluid and solid phases. Verification checks of CST2 show excellent agreement with analytical and numerical solutions for solute transport in rigid porous media. A parametric study illustrates that, for the test cases considered, variation of effective diffusion coefficient during consolidation has an important effect on solute transport, whereas nonlinearity of the sorption isotherm has a less important effect. Additional simulations show that nonequilibrium sorption can have a strong effect on consolidation-induced solute transport and that this effect becomes more important as the rate of consolidation increases. The simulations also corroborate previous findings that consolidation can have a lasting effect on solute migration because transient advective flows change the distribution of solute mass which then becomes the initial condition for subsequent transport processes.