Application of Tempered-Stable Time Fractional-Derivative Model to Upscale Subdiffusion for Pollutant Transport in Field-Scale Discrete Fracture Networks

Autor: Bingqing Lu, Yong Zhang, Donald M. Reeves, HongGuang Sun, Chunmiao Zheng
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2018
Předmět:
Zdroj: Mathematics, Vol 6, Iss 1, p 5 (2018)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2227-7390
DOI: 10.3390/math6010005
Popis: Fractional calculus provides efficient physical models to quantify non-Fickian dynamics broadly observed within the Earth system. The potential advantages of using fractional partial differential equations (fPDEs) for real-world problems are often limited by the current lack of understanding of how earth system properties influence observed non-Fickian dynamics. This study explores non-Fickian dynamics for pollutant transport in field-scale discrete fracture networks (DFNs), by investigating how fracture and rock matrix properties influence the leading and tailing edges of pollutant breakthrough curves (BTCs). Fractured reservoirs exhibit erratic internal structures and multi-scale heterogeneity, resulting in complex non-Fickian dynamics. A Monte Carlo approach is used to simulate pollutant transport through DFNs with a systematic variation of system properties, and the resultant non-Fickian transport is upscaled using a tempered-stable fractional in time advection–dispersion equation. Numerical results serve as a basis for determining both qualitative and quantitative relationships between BTC characteristics and model parameters, in addition to the impacts of fracture density, orientation, and rock matrix permeability on non-Fickian dynamics. The observed impacts of medium heterogeneity on tracer transport at late times tend to enhance the applicability of fPDEs that may be parameterized using measurable fracture–matrix characteristics.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals
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