Effects of domain shapes on the morphological evolution of nonaqueous-phase-liquid dissolution fronts in fluid-saturated porous media

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of different domain shapes in general and trapezoidal domain shape in particular on the morphological evolution of nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) dissolution fronts in two-dimensional fluid-saturated porous media. After the governing equations of NAPL dissolution problems are briefly described, the numerical procedure consisting of a combination of the finite element and finite difference methods is used to solve these equations. The related numerical simulation results have demonstrated that: (1) domain shapes have a significant effect on both the propagating speed and the morphological evolution pattern of a NAPL dissolution front in the fluid-saturated porous medium; (2) an increase in the divergent angle of a trapezoidal domain can lead to a decrease in the propagating speed of the NAPL dissolution front; (3) the morphological evolution pattern of the NAPL dissolution front in a rectangular domain is remarkably different from that in a trapezoidal domain of a large divergent angle; (4) for a rectangular domain, the simplified dispersion model, which is commonly used in the theoretical analysis and numerical simulation, is valid for solving NAPL dissolution instability problems in fluid-saturated porous media; and (5) compared with diverging flow (when the trapezoidal domain is inclined outward), converging flow (when the trapezoidal domain is inclined inward) can enhance the growth of NAPL fingers, indicating that pump-and-treat systems by extracting contaminated groundwater might enhance NAPL dissolution fingering and lead to less uniform dissolution fronts.

► To examine the effect of domain shape on the morphological evolution of NAPL fronts
► Domain shapes affect the propagating speed of an NAPL dissolution front
► A divergent trapezoidal domain leads to a decrease in the speed of an NAPL front
► The evolution pattern of an NAPL front is different for different domain shapes
► The previously-used simplified dispersion model is valid for rectangular domains