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Simple Spreadsheet Models For Interpretation Of Fractured Media Tracer Tests
Citation:
Slack, W. AND M. A. SIMON. Simple Spreadsheet Models For Interpretation Of Fractured Media Tracer Tests. Presented at Clemson Groundwater Symposium, Clemson, SC, April 02, 2009.
Impact/Purpose:
To discuss the analysis of a gas-phase partitioning tracer test that was conducted through fractured media.
Description:
An analysis of a gas-phase partitioning tracer test conducted through fractured media is discussed within this paper. The analysis employed matching eight simple mathematical models to the experimental data to determine transport parameters. All of the models tested; two porous, three double-porosity, and three fracture-based (single fracture, multifracture, fracture-matrix ) models could reasonably match the experimental data and no one model resulted in consistently superior predictions than the others and all were easy to implement. Different models gave distinct insight into various formation parameters. The homogeneous models generated field scale averages for effective porosities and effective dispersion coefficients which can be used for porous media modeling. While the homogeneous models can adequately predict field-wide mean arrival times, the fracture models could be used to predict early first contaminant arrival times. The double porosity models, which are popular with many commercially available fate and transport models, did not match these particular data as well as the uniform, porous models. The fracture matrix model provided the poorest match to these experimental data of all models tested.