Numerical modeling of deposition-release mechanisms in long-term filtration: validation from experimental data

A numerical phenomenological filtration model based on the combination of existing modeling approaches for simulating the transport of suspended particles in saturated porous medium is presented. The model accounts for the decreased physical straining with the distance from the inlet and the amount of deposited particles in the deposition kinetics. The particle release flux is a function of the local shear stress exerted by the flow on the pore surfaces. The proposed model is validated by interpreting a series of experimental data, realized in a laboratory sand column. The results show that the present model allows simulating the presence of a plateau in the breakthrough curves in the light of the shear stress conditions, and the spatial profile of deposited particles in the porous medium in the light of the straining profile.