Simulation and analysis of solute transport in 2D fracture/pipe networks: the SOLFRAC program.

The Time Domain Random Walk (TDRW) method has been recently developed by Delay and Bodin [Delay, F. and Bodin, J., 2001. Time domain random walk method to simulate transport by advection-dispersion and matrix diffusion in fracture networks. Geophys. Res. Lett., 28(21): 4051-4054.] and Bodin et al. [Bodin, J., Porel, G. and Delay, F., 2003c. Simulation of solute transport in discrete fracture networks using the time domain random walk method. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 6566: 1-8.] for simulating solute transport in discrete fracture networks. It is assumed that the fracture network can reasonably be represented by a network of interconnected one-dimensional pipes (i.e. flow channels). Processes accounted for are: (1) advection and hydrodynamic dispersion in the channels, (2) matrix diffusion, (3) diffusion into stagnant zones within the fracture planes, (4) sorption reactions onto the fracture walls and in the matrix, (5) linear decay, and (6) mass sharing at fracture intersections. The TDRW method is handy and very efficient in terms of computation costs since it allows for the one-step calculation of the particle residence time in each bond of the network. This method has been programmed in C++, and efforts have been made to develop an efficient and user-friendly software, called SOLFRAC. This program is freely downloadable at the URL (labo.univ-poitiers.fr/hydrasa/intranet/telechargement.htm). It calculates solute transport into 2D pipe networks, while considering different types of injections and different concepts of local dispersion within each flow channel. Post-simulation analyses are also available, such as the mean velocity or the macroscopic dispersion at the scale of the entire network. The program may be used to evaluate how a given transport mechanism influences the macroscopic transport behaviour of fracture networks. It may also be used, as is the case, e.g., with analytical solutions, to interpret laboratory or field tracer test experiments performed in single fractures.

A comparison of two stochastic inverse methods in a field-scale application.

Inverse modeling is a useful tool in ground water flow modeling studies. The most frequent difficulties encountered when using this technique are the lack of conditioning information (e.g., heads and transmissivities), the uncertainty in available data, and the nonuniqueness of the solution. These problems can be addressed and quantified through a stochastic Monte Carlo approach. The aim of this work was to compare the applicability of two stochastic inverse modeling approaches in a field-scale application. The multi-scaling (MS) approach uses a downscaling parameterization procedure that is not based on geostatistics. The pilot point (PP) approach uses geostatistical random fields as initial transmissivity values and an experimental variogram to condition the calibration. The studied area (375 km2) is part of a regional aquifer, northwest of Montreal in the St. Lawrence lowlands (southern Québec). It is located in limestone, dolomite, and sandstone formations, and is mostly a fractured porous medium. The MS approach generated small errors on heads, but the calibrated transmissivity fields did not reproduce the variogram of observed transmissivities. The PP approach generated larger errors on heads but better reproduced the spatial structure of observed transmissivities. The PP approach was also less sensitive to uncertainty in head measurements. If reliable heads are available but no transmissivities are measured, the MS approach provides useful results. If reliable transmissivities with a well inferred spatial structure are available, then the PP approach is a better alternative. This approach however must be used with caution if measured transmissivities are not reliable.