<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

This study focuses on the effects of soil textural heterogeneity on longitudinal dispersion under saturation conditions. A series of solute transport experiments were carried out using saturated soil columns packed with two filter sands and two mixtures of these sands, having <italic>d50</italic> values of 95, 324, 402, and 480 µm, subjected to four different steady flow rates. Values of the dispersion coefficient (<italic>D</italic>) were estimated from observed in-situ distributions of calcium chlo-ride, injected as a short nonreactive tracer pulse, at four different locations (11, 18, 25, 36 cm). Analyses of the observed distributions in terms of the standard advection-dispersion equation (ADE) showed that <italic>D</italic> increased nonlinearly with travel distance and higher Peclet numbers+. The dispersion coefficient of sand sample S1 with its largest average particle size (<italic>d</italic>50) was more affected by the average pore-water velocity than sample S4 having the smallest <italic>d</italic>50. Results revealed that for a constant velocity, <italic>D</italic> values of sample S1 were much higher than those of sample S4, which had the smallest <italic>d</italic>50. A correlation matrix of parameters controlling the dispersion coefficient showed a relatively strong positive relationship between <italic>D</italic> and the Peclet number. In contrast, almost no correlation was evident between <italic>D</italic> and porosity as well as grain size. The results obtained with the four sandy matrices were consistent and proved that the dispersion coefficient depends mainly on the particle size.
</abstract>

This study focuses on the effects of soil textural heterogeneity on longitudinal dispersion under saturation conditions. A series of solute transport experiments were carried out using saturated soil columns packed with two filter sands and two mixtures of these sands, having d50 values of 95, 324, 402, and 480 µm, subjected to four different steady flow rates. Values of the dispersion coefficient (D) were estimated from observed in-situ distributions of calcium chlo-ride, injected as a short nonreactive tracer pulse, at four different locations (11, 18, 25, 36 cm). Analyses of the observed distributions in terms of the standard advection-dispersion equation (ADE) showed that D increased nonlinearly with travel distance and higher Peclet numbers+. The dispersion coefficient of sand sample S1 with its largest average particle size (d50) was more affected by the average pore-water velocity than sample S4 having the smallest d50. Results revealed that for a constant velocity, D values of sample S1 were much higher than those of sample S4, which had the smallest d50. A correlation matrix of parameters controlling the dispersion coefficient showed a relatively strong positive relationship between D and the Peclet number. In contrast, almost no correlation was evident between D and porosity as well as grain size. The results obtained with the four sandy matrices were consistent and proved that the dispersion coefficient depends mainly on the particle size.

Effect of soil textural characteristics on longitudinal dispersion in saturated porous media

Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Resources

Journal of Hydrology and Hydromechanics

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

This study focuses on the effects of soil textural heterogeneity on longitudinal dispersion under saturation conditions. A series of solute transport...

Effect of soil textural characteristics on longitudinal dispersion in saturated porous media

Published Online: May 21, 2021

Page range: 161 - 170

Received: Dec 16, 2019

Accepted: Jan 04, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/johh-2021-0004

Keywords
Solute dispersion, Soil textural heterogeneity, Saturated columns, Peclet number, Flow velocity, Travel distance

© 2021 Mojtaba G. Mahmoodlu et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Effect of soil textural characteristics on longitudinal dispersion in saturated porous media

Published Online: May 21, 2021

Page range: 161 - 170

Received: Dec 16, 2019

Accepted: Jan 04, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/johh-2021-0004

KeywordsSolute dispersion, Soil textural heterogeneity, Saturated columns, Peclet number, Flow velocity, Travel distance

© 2021 Mojtaba G. Mahmoodlu et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.

Keywords
Solute dispersion, Soil textural heterogeneity, Saturated columns, Peclet number, Flow velocity, Travel distance