Groundwater Velocity Magnitude in Radionuclide Transport Calculations
Publication: Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 114, Issue 8
Abstract
Screening-type analyses of groundwater contamination are often performed without site-specific information on groundwater flow velocity, among other aquifer characteristics. This note defines a maximum point concentration velocity (MPCV) as a groundwater velocity value resulting in a theoretically maximum concentration of a radionuclude at a specified location. For one-dimensional plug flow, MPCV is the product of the distance from the source, the radioactive decay rate, and the sorption retardation coefficient (MPCV=xΙRd). MPCV for two-dimensional advective-dispersive transport is a function of these parameters and additionally the longitudinal dispersivity. A closed-form approximation for this MPCV is presented which provides a better estimate than the plug-flow MPCV. Calculated concentrations are more sensitive to velocity for low velocity values, when decay is most important.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Hydraulic Engineering
Volume 114 • Issue 8 • August 1988
Pages: 933 - 939
Copyright
Copyright © 1988 ASCE.
History
Published online: Aug 1, 1988
Published in print: Aug 1988
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