Michael Kuznetsov

Multiphase and Multi-component Interactions through the Unsaturated Saturated Zone Field and Model Study

An integrated approach of field and model investigations was implemented to an aquifer underlying urban infrastructure. The study focuses on the transport of Trichloroethylene (TCE) through the unsaturated-saturated zone. Simulations, subject to isothermal conditions, addressed a threedimensional continuum involving three interacting mobile phases: aqueous, NAPL (Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids) and gaseous. The mathematical model considers water, air and TCE as components in equilibrium partitioning between the three mobile fluids, while for the latter we account also for sorption on the solid matrix. Predictions of migration patterns were due to a continuous spill from a single NAPL source situated at the soil surface.