Ravid Rosenzweig

Free Flow at the Interface of Porous Surfaces: A Generalization of the Taylor Brush Configuration

A solution to the problem of shallow laminar water flow above a porous surface is essential when modeling phenomena such as erosion, resuspension, and mass transfer between the porous media and the flow above it. Previous studies proposed theoretical, experimental, and numerical insight with no single general solution to the problem. Many studies have used the Brinkman equation, while others showed that it does not represent the actual interface flow conditions. In this paper we show that the interface macroscopic velocity can be accurately modeled by introducing a modification to the Brinkman equation. A moving average approach was proved to be successful when choosing the correct representative elementary volume and comparing the macroscopic solution with the average microscopic flow. As the size of the representative elementary volume was found to be equal to the product of the square root of the permeability and an exponential function of the porosity, a general solution is now available for any brush configuration. Given the properties of the porous media (porosity and permeability), the flow height and its driving force, a complete macroscopic solution of the interface flow is obtained.

Modeling biofilm dynamics and hydraulic properties in variably saturated soils using a channel network model

Biofilm effects on water flow in unsaturated environments have largely been ignored in the past. However, intensive engineered systems that involve elevated organic loads such as wastewater irrigation, effluent recharge, and bioremediation processes make understanding how biofilms affect flow highly important. In the current work, we present a channel-network model that incorporates water flow, substrate transport, and biofilm dynamics to simulate the alteration of soil hydraulic properties, namely water retention and conductivity. The change in hydraulic properties due to biofilm growth is not trivial and depends highly on the spatial distribution of the biofilm development. Our results indicate that the substrate mass transfer coefficient across the water-biofilm interface dominates the spatiotemporal distribution of biofilm. High mass transfer coefficients lead to uncontrolled biofilm growth close to the substrate source, resulting in preferential clogging of the soil. Low mass transfer coefficients, on the other hand, lead to a more uniform biofilm distribution. The first scenario leads to a dramatic reduction of the hydraulic conductivity with almost no change in water retention, whereas the second scenario has a smaller effect on conductivity but a larger influence on retention. The current modeling approach identifies key factors that still need to be studied and opens the way for simulation and optimization of processes involving significant biological activity in unsaturated soils.

Biofilm effect on soil hydraulic properties: Experimental investigation using soil‐grown real biofilm

Understanding the influence of attached microbial biomass on water flow in variably saturated soils is crucial for many engineered flow systems. So far, the investigation of the effects of microbial biomass has been mainly limited to water-saturated systems. We have assessed the influence of biofilms on the soil hydraulic properties under variably-saturated conditions. A sandy soil was incubated with Pseudomonas Putida and the hydraulic properties of the incubated soil were determined by a combination of methods. Our results show a stronger soil water retention in the inoculated soil as compared to the control. The increase in volumetric water content reaches approximately 0.015 cm3 cm−3 but is only moderately correlated with the carbon deficit, a proxy for biofilm quantity, and less with the cell viable counts. The presence of biofilm reduced the saturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil by up to one order of magnitude. Under unsaturated conditions, the hydraulic conductivity was only reduced by a factor of four. This means that relative water conductance in biofilm-affected soils is higher compared to the clean soil at low water contents, and that the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity curve of biofilm-affected soil cannot be predicted by simply scaling the saturated hydraulic conductivity. A flexible parameterization of the soil hydraulic functions accounting for capillary and non-capillary flow was needed to adequately describe the observed properties over the entire wetness range. More research is needed to address the exact flow mechanisms in biofilm-affected, unsaturated soil and how they are related to effective system properties. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Theoretical and Numerical Study of Flow at the Interface of Porous Media

A solution to the problem of laminar flow above a porous surface is essential when investigating phenomena such as erosion, re-suspension, or mass transfer between the porous media and the flow above it. Previous studies have provided theoretical, experimental, and numerical insight, but failed to provide a general, useful tool for predicting the macroscopic flow in domains that involve an interface between porous regions and free flow regions. Many studies have used the Brinkman equation, while others have shown that it does not represent the actual flow conditions at the interface. In this paper, we show that the interface macroscopic velocity can be modeled by introducing a modification to the Brinkman equation. A moving average approach was proved to be successful when choosing the correct representative elementary volume and comparing the macroscopic solution with the average microscopic flow. As the size of the representative elementary volume was found to be equal to the product of the square root of the permeability and an exponential function of the porosity, a closed solution is now available. The macroscopic model was developed while considering a 2D porous media made of multiple parallel grooves. The model was then applied using a 3D porous media, which has, in the horizontal plane, a shape of the fractal set Sierpinski Carpet. Given the properties of the porous media (porosity and permeability), the flow height, the fluid viscosity, and its drivihg force, a complete macroscopic solution of the interface flow is obtained.