Influence of Particle Deposition Morphology on Solute Transport in Porous Media: A CFD-DEM Study
摘要
Accurate prediction of solute transport is crucial for environmental pollution forecasting and remediation. As the number of mobile particles, such as microplastics, in soils and groundwater increases, the risk of inaccurate solute transport predictions also rises. This study uses a coupled computational fluid dynamics-discrete element method (CFD-DEM) along with an advection–diffusion equation (ADE) to simulate the transport processes of particles and solute at the pore scale. We observed the migration and deposition of particles in porous media at various injection velocities. Further studies investigated the effects of different particle deposition statuses and Péclet numbers on solute transport. A continuous-time random walk (CTRW) model with a truncated power law (TPL) was used to describe solute transport behaviors under various conditions. The results show that particles form stable agglomerates under low injection velocity conditions, leading to a significant increase in the number of particles retained with time. In contrast, under high flow conditions, the variation in particle deposition at different times is minimal. The solute transport simulations revealed anomalous solute transport behavior, which is linked to increased particle deposition and higher Péclet numbers. The significant rise in particle deposition caused preferential flow in the porous media, resulting in early breakthroughs and tailing of solute transport. This study highlights the impact of particle-induced pore structure evolution on solute transport and emphasizes the importance of incorporating particle-structure interactions into solute transport models.