University of California Water Resources Center

A methodology for simulating 3-D flow and reactive solute transport through statistically anisotropic heterogeneous porous media was developed and demonstrated. First, a method for generating 3-D flow fields in statistically anisotropic heterogeneous porous media was presented. Sample flow fields were generated and analyzed to demonstrate the method and examine the characteristics of 3-D subsurface flow. This stochastic technique was then coupled with a mobile-immobile domain model for simulating the sorption processes. Model results for the spatial moments of the solute plume were shown to capture the major trends observed in the field-scale experiment performed at Borden. These simulations were based on basic site information and independent laboratory data was used to determine the sorption parameters. In a second application of the model, a series of simulations was completed to investigate the coupled effects of heterogeneities of subsurface hydraulic properties and nonequilibrium processes on reactive solute concentrations undergoing transport in three-dimensional natural porous formations.