An experimental study about influence of viscosity of fluid on spread of contaminant in sand deposits

Contaminant transport modeling needs the understanding of the factors effecting the movement of contaminant through dry, partially saturated and saturated zone. When the contaminant reaches the ground water, it follows the pattern of ground water flow. While the contaminant passing through dry or partially saturated soil, its movement depends on a number of parameters such as porosity and, soil moisture and contaminant properties. This paper presents the details of a laboratory investigation carried out to study the spread of water, Glycerol and engine oil, in dry sandy soil experiments were conducted, using ‘Pollutant Transport Test apparatus’ which was designed and developed for the project. The test results indicated a precise difference between behaviors of more viscous fluid compared to less viscous.

Keywords:

Contaminant , spread , sand , LNAPL