Analytically Enhanced Random Walk Approach for Rapid Concentration Mapping in Fractured Aquifers
The efficient management and remediation of contaminated fractured aquifers necessitate an accurate prediction of the spatial distribution of contaminant concentration within the system. Related existing analytical solutions are only applicable to single fractures and have not yet been extrapolated...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Water |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/7/1020 |
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| author | Ahmed Yosri Maysara Ghaith Mohamed Ismaiel Ahmed Wael El-Dakhakhni |
| author_facet | Ahmed Yosri Maysara Ghaith Mohamed Ismaiel Ahmed Wael El-Dakhakhni |
| author_sort | Ahmed Yosri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The efficient management and remediation of contaminated fractured aquifers necessitate an accurate prediction of the spatial distribution of contaminant concentration within the system. Related existing analytical solutions are only applicable to single fractures and have not yet been extrapolated to the aquifer scale where a network of connected fractures exists. The Random Walk Particle Tracking (RWPT) method has been extensively adopted for concentration mapping in Discrete Fracture Networks (DFNs), albeit at exorbitant computational costs and without efficiently accommodating complex physical processes (e.g., two-site kinetics). This study introduces an analytically enhanced Spatiotemporal Random Walk (STRW) approach that facilitates the efficient time-dependent mapping of contaminant concentration in DFNs. The STRW approach employs a distribution function to simultaneously estimate the displacement of particles released through the system either instantaneously or over time. The STRW approach efficiently reproduced the contaminant concentration, calculated using available analytical solutions under a range of fate and transport mechanisms. The efficacy of the STRW approach is also confirmed in a synthetic impermeable DFN through replicating the concentration maps produced using the RWPT method. The developed approach represents an accurate and computationally efficient dynamic concentration mapping technique that can support the effective operation, management, and remediation of fractured aquifers under contamination events. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:34:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fc72a2070e994b6da941d376b37b394a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4441 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:34:06Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Water |
| spelling | doaj.art-fc72a2070e994b6da941d376b37b394a2024-04-12T13:27:12ZengMDPI AGWater2073-44412024-04-01167102010.3390/w16071020Analytically Enhanced Random Walk Approach for Rapid Concentration Mapping in Fractured AquifersAhmed Yosri0Maysara Ghaith1Mohamed Ismaiel Ahmed2Wael El-Dakhakhni3Department of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, CanadaDepartment of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, CanadaDepartment of Irrigation and Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza 12613, EgyptDepartment of Civil Engineering, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8S 4L7, CanadaThe efficient management and remediation of contaminated fractured aquifers necessitate an accurate prediction of the spatial distribution of contaminant concentration within the system. Related existing analytical solutions are only applicable to single fractures and have not yet been extrapolated to the aquifer scale where a network of connected fractures exists. The Random Walk Particle Tracking (RWPT) method has been extensively adopted for concentration mapping in Discrete Fracture Networks (DFNs), albeit at exorbitant computational costs and without efficiently accommodating complex physical processes (e.g., two-site kinetics). This study introduces an analytically enhanced Spatiotemporal Random Walk (STRW) approach that facilitates the efficient time-dependent mapping of contaminant concentration in DFNs. The STRW approach employs a distribution function to simultaneously estimate the displacement of particles released through the system either instantaneously or over time. The STRW approach efficiently reproduced the contaminant concentration, calculated using available analytical solutions under a range of fate and transport mechanisms. The efficacy of the STRW approach is also confirmed in a synthetic impermeable DFN through replicating the concentration maps produced using the RWPT method. The developed approach represents an accurate and computationally efficient dynamic concentration mapping technique that can support the effective operation, management, and remediation of fractured aquifers under contamination events.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/7/1020concentration mappingcontaminant transportdiscrete fracture networkfractured aquifersrandom walksingle fractures |
| spellingShingle | Ahmed Yosri Maysara Ghaith Mohamed Ismaiel Ahmed Wael El-Dakhakhni Analytically Enhanced Random Walk Approach for Rapid Concentration Mapping in Fractured Aquifers Water concentration mapping contaminant transport discrete fracture network fractured aquifers random walk single fractures |
| title | Analytically Enhanced Random Walk Approach for Rapid Concentration Mapping in Fractured Aquifers |
| title_full | Analytically Enhanced Random Walk Approach for Rapid Concentration Mapping in Fractured Aquifers |
| title_fullStr | Analytically Enhanced Random Walk Approach for Rapid Concentration Mapping in Fractured Aquifers |
| title_full_unstemmed | Analytically Enhanced Random Walk Approach for Rapid Concentration Mapping in Fractured Aquifers |
| title_short | Analytically Enhanced Random Walk Approach for Rapid Concentration Mapping in Fractured Aquifers |
| title_sort | analytically enhanced random walk approach for rapid concentration mapping in fractured aquifers |
| topic | concentration mapping contaminant transport discrete fracture network fractured aquifers random walk single fractures |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/16/7/1020 |
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