Investigation of Consolidation-Induced Solute Transport. II: Experimental and Numerical Results
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 9
Abstract
This paper presents an experimental and numerical investigation of consolidation-induced solute transport. Diffusion and large strain consolidation tests were performed on composite specimens of kaolinite clay consisting of an upper uncontaminated layer and a lower layer contaminated with potassium bromide. Experimental measurements of effluent concentration, solute mass outflow, and final concentration profiles were obtained for a variety of initial, boundary, and loading conditions, including unload/reload. Numerical simulations were conducted using a computational model in which solute transport occurs by advection, dispersion, and sorption and is consistent with temporal and spatial variations of porosity and seepage velocity in the consolidating layer. Large strains were taken into account as well as variation of effective diffusion coefficient with porosity and nonlinear nonequilibrium sorption effects. The numerical simulations are in good to excellent agreement with the experimental measurements. Results indicate that, depending on conditions, diffusion and consolidation-induced advection can make important contributions to solute transport and mass outflow. Thus, both mechanisms should be considered for transport analyses involving soft contaminated clays undergoing large volume change. Results also indicate that nonequilibrium sorption effects were not significant for the materials and test conditions used in this study.
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Acknowledgments
Financial support for this investigation was provided by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the Ohio Sea Grant College Program and is gratefully acknowledged. The writers also thank Dr. John J. Lenhart, Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Geodetic Science at The Ohio State University, for his assistance with this project.
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Information
Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 9 • September 2009
Pages: 1239 - 1253
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Sep 9, 2007
Accepted: Jan 26, 2009
Published online: Aug 14, 2009
Published in print: Sep 2009
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