Theory of the hydrogeological approach for groundwater flow and transport in the partially satured zone | Theorie de l'approche hydrogeologique des ecoulements et transports en zone partiellement saturee
1996
Dassargues, A. (Liege univ. (Belgium). Lab. de geologie de l'ingenieur, d'hydrogeologie et de prospection geophysique)
Definitions, conventions and assumptions which are generally accepted when considering partially saturated porous media are proposed. The differences with the saturated zone (more usually studied by hydrogeoiogists) are pointed out. Then the basic hydrostatic and hydrodynamic theories are detailed. Emphasis is given on the similitudes with single and multiphase flows in saturated porous media, but also on the strong variations of the parameters (as for example the hydraulic conductivity) in function of the water content or the saturation degree. Miscible and immiscible pollutant transport in the partially saturated zone are described as complex processes. In order to be able to simulate them by numerical models, they are conceptually simplified in the constitutive laws. Nevertheless, despite all the chosen assumptions, it appears that modelling transport in the non saturated zone is still a difficult exercise due essentially to the general lack of experimental data. These data are needed for the parameterization of the constitutive laws which are implemented in very sophisticated numerical codes allowing to take into account very complex coupled and non linear situations
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