Influence of Sediments of Transport of Solute

A mathematical model which describes the transport of radionuclides injected instantaneously in a stream is developed. Instantaneous release of dye and continuous release of ⁸⁵Sr respectively, are used to measure the dispersion and mass transfer coefficients. Aquaria and model river experiments are undertaken to determine various parameters which define the mechanism of sorption and desorption of radionuclides by sediments. Instantaneous injection of ⁸⁵Sr into the model river provides data for establishing the relationship between the analytical solution and a proposed mathematical model. FORTRAN programs are designed for the analyses of gamma spectra, dispersion coefficients and transport equations. The mass transfer coefficient is found to increase with increased velocity. High uptake of ⁸⁵Sr by sediments may be provided by increased temperature and the presence of an organic pollutant. An exponential relationship is established between the Sherwood's number and the Reynold's number for the model river.