PERCOLATION BASED TECHNIQUES FOR UPSCALING THE HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY : Upscaling of the effective hydraulic conductivity of a semi-realistic geologic media

ISBN-13: 9783639196580 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 88 str.

Bilal Z. Idriss

Opis

Three schemes were tested for upscaling the hydraulic conductivity (K) on aquifers with bimodal K distributions. This bimodality (e.g., sand and mud deposits) was intended to capture typical geological conditions. Results were tested with a numerical model. Upscaling techniques used were inspired by schemes interpolating between arithmetic and harmonic means, but are based on percolation theory: 1) Critical Path Analysis (CPA), 2) Percolation Path Analysis (PPA, or standard scaling), and a novel scaling approach. Models chosen were both spatially correlated and uncorrelated, with important differences in critical percolation probabilities, Pc. Volume fractions Ps and 1-Ps (with Ps = sand volume fraction) were assigned to each mode of the distribution of K. The requirement for the application for CPA is to interpolate smoothly between the parallel and series configurations makes it satisfactory only for Ps Pc. PPA generally underestimates K. The novel scaling technique has the widest generality.

O autorze

Mr. Bilal Ziad Idriss graduated from the American University of Beirut with a Bachelors of Science in Geology, and then was granted the Fulbright Scholarship and continued his Masters in Science at Wright State University under the supervision of Dr. Allen Hunt. The main concentration of his Masters was in Hydrogeology.