High-resolution Monte Carlo simulation of flow and conservative transport in heterogeneous porous media: 1. Methodology and flow results

Water Resources Research
By: , and 

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Abstract

In this, the first of two papers concerned with the use of numerical simulation to examine flow and transport parameters in heterogeneous porous media via Monte Carlo methods, various aspects of the modelling effort are examined. In particular, the need to save on core memory causes one to use only specific realizations that have certain initial characteristics; in effect, these transport simulations are conditioned by these characteristics. Also, the need to independently estimate length scales for the generated fields is discussed. The statistical uniformity of the flow field is investigated by plotting the variance of the seepage velocity for vector components in the x, y, and z directions. Finally, specific features of the velocity field itself are illuminated in this first paper. In particular, these data give one the opportunity to investigate the effective hydraulic conductivity in a flow field which is approximately statistically uniform; comparisons are made with first- and second-order perturbation analyses. The mean cloud velocity is examined to ascertain whether it is identical to the mean seepage velocity of the model. Finally, the variance in the cloud centroid velocity is examined for the effect of source size and differing strengths of local transverse dispersion.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title High-resolution Monte Carlo simulation of flow and conservative transport in heterogeneous porous media: 1. Methodology and flow results
Series title Water Resources Research
DOI 10.1029/97WR02712
Volume 34
Issue 4
Year Published 1998
Language English
Publisher American Geophysical Union
Description 15 p.
First page 663
Last page 677
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