Application of a Mass Balance-Based Stochastic Transport Model

Abstract

The definition of contaminant source release is a necessary element of contaminant mass transport simulation in the saturated zone. At many sites the release history is unknown, and there has been a significant body of research to develop inverse models to define finite release histories. Instead of rigorously defining the source history, a mass balance-based approach is tested to explicitly account for uncertainty in rectangular pulse release variables. The approach has been incorporated into a spreadsheet model which uses a one-dimensional solution to the advection dispersion equation, which readily lends itself to Monte Carlo applications. After the model was tested with synthetic data sets, the model was calibrated and verified using a concentration data set collected at a Superfund site. Model calibration with synthetic and actual data resulted in a reasonable domain of source history parameters and the model provided reasonable results when the mass of contaminant in the aquifer was assumed to be random.

Department(s)

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Advection-Dispersion Equation; Concentration Data; Contaminant Sources; Groundwater Modeling; Inverse Models; Mass Balance; Mass Transport; Model Calibration; MONTE CARLO; One-Dimensional Solutions; Rectangular Pulse; Release History; Remedial Actions; Remediation Design; Saturated Zone; Spreadsheet Models; Stochastic Transport; Superfund Sites; Synthetic Datasets; Aquifers; Environmental Engineering; Groundwater Flow; Groundwater Pollution; Groundwater Resources; Mass Transfer; Pollution; Stochastic Models; Aquifer; Model Test; Monte Carlo Analysis; Phreatic Zone; Pollutant Transport; Remediation; Stochasticity; Superfund; Remedial Action

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1090-025X

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2010 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jul 2010

Link to Full Text

Share

 
COinS