Transport modeling in hydrogeochemical systems (Q5948229)

Hydrogeologically, the present monograph mainly treats transport and reactions of solutes in the groundwater. Besides kinematics and dynamics of groundwater flow are considered. Mathematically, evolutionary models basing on sets of partial differential equations (PDEs) of parabolic or hyperbolic type are developed. Attempts are made to develop simplified transport models which do not include all the existing physical mechanisms but which help to understand the various basic processes and their interactions. Thus, the present monograph does not contain a systematic development of the theory of transport processes but it may be used as a compendium of various simple mathematical models that help to understand transport in hydrogeology, including diffusion-dispersion processes, advection, and absorption or reaction. The book consists of six chapters. Chapter 1 considers diffusion caused by random collisions between molecules. The classical parabolic diffusion equation with constant diffusion coefficient for bounded and unbounded systems is reviewed. The behavior of solutions of the diffusion equations is discussed basing on the maximum principle. Simple phenomenological mathematical reaction-advection-dispersion (i.e. reaction-convection-diffusion) models basing on the mass balance of a chemical or biological tracer taking into account advection, molecular diffusion and kinematic dispersion as well as adsorption processes are developed in Chapter 2. The water flux velocity is considered to be constant. By way of examples, techniques to study nonlinear mathematical models in contaminant transport like comparison, similarity and energy methods, are illustrated. In Chapter 3, the existence of wave front solutions and their stability are discussed for several mathematical models involving advection, dispersion and adsorption. An analysis of traveling wave solutions is performed for nonlinear parabolic equations. The next two Chapters deal with porosity changes in porous domains. Chapter 4 discusses filtration models, i.e. contaminant, or solute, transport models for particles with non-negligible volume, which are accreted by the soil matrix. Basic conservation laws are derived, showing how the solutes are advected and dispersed throughout the medium. The subsurface flow dynamics of the groundwater and the interconnection between its flow-parameters are treated in Chapter 5. Hydrogeological models based on mass balance and Darcy's law are discussed for the saturated subsurface zone, where all the pore space is filled with water. Further, a brief introduction to the modeling of the unsaturated zone situated directly below the soil surface (and containing both air and water) is given. Finally, alterations of mineralogy of rocks by the flowing groundwater are discussed in chapter 6. Having considered some specific examples, a general, three-dimensional, macroscopic, phenomenological description of transport and reactions in porous mineral rocks is presented. There are many exercises distributed in the book to extend or illustrate ideas. Appendices contain the finite-difference method for solving advection-dispersion-adsorption equations and the method of lines to solve PDEs as well as the Talbot and Stehfest algorithms of inversion of integral transforms. The book is an excellent textbook in applied mathematics accessible to graduate students of geology, especially contaminent hydrology, ground water modeling and hydrogeology, as well as civil engineering.