Role of the clay lenses within sandy aquifers in the migration pathway of infiltrating DNAPL plume: A numerical investigation

TL;DR

This study uses a finite element model to investigate how clay lenses within sandy aquifers influence the migration and accumulation of DNAPL, aiding in better remediation planning.

Contribution

It introduces a FEM-based simulation approach to analyze the impact of lithological heterogeneities, specifically clay lenses, on DNAPL migration in aquifers.

Findings

Clay lenses significantly affect DNAPL migration pathways.

FEM provides accurate modeling of irregular aquifer domains.

Insights support improved remediation strategies.

Abstract

The use of numerical based multi-phase fluid flow simulation can significantly aid in the development of an effective remediation strategy for groundwater systems contaminated with Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL). Incorporating the lithological heterogeneities of the aquifer into the model domain is a crucial aspect in the development of robust numerical simulators. Previous research studies have attempted to incorporate lithological heterogeneities into the domain; however, most of these numerical simulators are based on Finite Volume Method (FVM) and Finite Difference Method (FDM) which have limited applicability in the field-scale aquifers. Finite Element Method (FEM) can be highly useful in developing the field-scale simulation of DNAPL infiltration due to its consistent accuracy on irregular study domain, and the availability of higher orders of basis functions. In this research work, FEM based model has been developed to simulate the DNAPL infiltration in a hypothetical field-scale aquifer. The model results demonstrate the effect of meso-scale heterogeneities, specifically clay lenses, on the migration and accumulation of Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid (DNAPL) within the aquifer. Furthermore, this research provides valuable insights for the development of an appropriate remediation strategy for a general contaminated aquifer.