Stochastic analysis of the efficiency of coupled hydraulic-physical barriers to contain solute plumes in highly heterogeneous aquifers

Pedretti, Daniele; Masetti, Marco; Beretta, Giovanni Pietro

doi:10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.08.051

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…Among the variety of approaches developed in this context, studies embedded in a numerical Monte Carlo (MC) framework have enabled to explore subtle relationships between the heterogeneous features of the subsurface and salient elements characterizing flow and transport (e.g., Bellin et al, 1992;Naff et al, 1998a,b;Riva et al, 2008;de Dreuzy et al, 2012;Pedretti et al, 2017;Siena and Riva, 2018 and references therein). A typical Monte Carlo study comprises the analysis of a collection of outputs of interest that are generated from one or multiple models, given uncertainty in their inputs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solute transport in bounded porous media characterized by generalized sub-Gaussian log-conductivity distributions

Sole‐Mari

Riva

Fernàndez-García

et al. 2021

Advances in Water Resources

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There are increasing evidences that probability distributions and associated statistical moments of a variety of hydrogeological and soil science variables and their spatial increments display distinctive scale-dependent features that are not captured by a typical Gaussian model. A Generalized Sub-Gaussian (GSG) model is able to capture key aspects of this pattern. We present the results of a suite of computational analyses set in a Monte Carlo framework and aimed at assessing the impact of a GSG structure of log hydraulic conductivity ( ) on transport of a conservative solute through a threedimensional bounded porous medium under steady-state saturated Darcy flow. Our results indicate that the longitudinal spreading of a plume is on average significantly smaller for Sub-Gaussian than for Gaussian Y fields. Otherwise, the velocity field arising from a Sub-Gaussian Y field induces enhanced plume stretching with respect to what can be observed in a Gaussian Y setting, this aspect potentially influencing the strength of solute mixing within these two types of conductivity domains. We also find that, in some cases, it may be difficult to identify the nature of the underlying conductivity field relying solely on observations of solute concentrations migrating within the system. In this regard, we show that the action of local dispersion tends to mask the influence of Sub-Gaussianity on major transport metrics.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solute transport in bounded porous media characterized by generalized sub-Gaussian log-conductivity distributions

Sole‐Mari

Riva

Fernàndez-García

et al. 2021

Advances in Water Resources

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“…P&T has been the most widely used option for the remediation of contaminated sites since the 1980s [20]. However, it suffers from several shortcomings and disadvantages, which have been extensively addressed in the literature [20,25,[27][28][29][30][31][32][33]. P&T has very high operational costs that must be incurred for several years, often decades [20,[34][35][36][37].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The choice between a hydraulic and physical barrier for the containment of contamination is a topic of general concern and, hence, is well-documented in the literature. Several approaches have been proposed to date to guide this choice, but they have all focused on hydraulic aspects only [39][40][41] or on contaminant transport through the slurry wall [29,42], without considering contaminant mass discharge to the domain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Quantitative Approach to Assessing the Technical and Economic Performance of Source Containment Options for Contaminated Aquifers

et al. 2021

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The containment of contaminant plumes to protect groundwater from pollution is recognized as a frequent need in brownfield redevelopment. Plume containment can be physical, with slurry walls, jet grouting etc., or hydraulic, with wells capturing the subsurface flow that crosses the contaminated front (Pump & Treat), or a combination of both types. The choice of the most suitable technique is a difficult task, since various aspects must be taken into consideration. In this paper, we present a framework for evaluating barriers in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, along with a simplified approach for the evaluation of capital and operational costs. The contaminant mass discharge escaping from the containment system is a robust indicator of its effectiveness, and can be derived from modelling results. The abstracted water flowrate is a key indicator of the efficiency and sustainability of each option, especially in the long term. The methodology is tested in a simplified case study and in a real one, highlighting the relevance of modelling results in guiding the choice and design of contaminant source containment systems.

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“…Kuppusamy et al, 2016), P&T remains widely adopted for the containment of solute plumes (e.g. Truex et al, 2015;Pedretti et al, 2017;Casasso et al, 2020). This is mainly due to the relatively easy design of P&T systems, which conventionally includes one or more pumping wells located downstream of the detected plume and a facility for water treatment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…From a physical perspective, P&T hydraulic barriers can be combined with physical barriers, such as low-permeable cutoff walls or diaphragms (e.g. Dominijanni et al, 2017;Pedretti et al, 2017;Yang et al, 2020). Compared to "conventional" (i.e., physical-barrierfree) P&T systems, a "combined" P&T system is expected to decrease Q, as the physical barrier reduces the seepage flow between the solute plume source and the hydraulic barriers, while funneling the contaminant plume towards the extraction wells (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heterogeneity-controlled uncertain optimization of pump-and-treat systems explained through geological entropy

Pedretti

2020

Int J Geomath

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Pump-and-treat (P&T) is a widely-adopted solution for the containment of solute plumes in contaminated aquifers. A cost-effective design of P&T systems requires optimizing (minimizing) the overall pumping rates (𝑄) . This optimization is a stochastic process, as Q is a random variable linked to the randomness of the aquifer hydraulic conductivity (𝐾).Previously presented stochastic approaches to minimize 𝑄 adopted two-dimensional (2D) Gaussian random spatial fields (r.s.f.) of log-transformed K. Recent studies based on geological entropy have demonstrated the limited ability of Gaussian r.s.f. to reproduce extreme K patterns, which mostly control transport in heterogeneous aquifers, when compared to non-Gaussian r.s.f. Moreover, 2D models generate different flow and transport connectivity than three-dimensional (3D) models. On these premises, this work aimed at extending previous works on P&T optimization in heterogeneous aquifers through Monte-Carlo groundwater simulations of 2D and 3D Gaussian and non-Gaussian r.s.f. The results indicated that the mean ( 𝑄 𝑛 ̅̅̅̅ ) and variance (𝜎 𝑄𝑛 2 ) of the optimal Q distribution depend strictly on the chosen model dimensionality and r.s.f. generator. In particular, 2D models and models embedding indicator-based (i.e. non-Gaussian) r.s.f. tended to generate higher

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Stochastic analysis of the efficiency of coupled hydraulic-physical barriers to contain solute plumes in highly heterogeneous aquifers

Cited by 6 publications

References 43 publications

Solute transport in bounded porous media characterized by generalized sub-Gaussian log-conductivity distributions

Solute transport in bounded porous media characterized by generalized sub-Gaussian log-conductivity distributions

A Quantitative Approach to Assessing the Technical and Economic Performance of Source Containment Options for Contaminated Aquifers

Heterogeneity-controlled uncertain optimization of pump-and-treat systems explained through geological entropy

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