Delaying solute transport through the soil using unequal double sheet piles with a surface floor

Abstract

The hydraulic control is a common solution used to delay and minimize solute transport through groundwater. A study using unequal double sheet piles and a horizontal impermeable floor at the surface was carried out using a numerical model to minimize groundwater contamination. The study included solute transport by advection and diffusion processes together and an advection process only. Analytical solutions and experimental work were used to verify the results of the numerical model. Arrival times of contamination downstream were reported for different depths of unequal double sheet piles, distances between the first sheet pile and contamination source, lengths of the surface floor and hydraulic permeabilities. The study concluded that hydraulic control is effective in slowing contamination migration. Using unequal double sheet piles could increase arrival time about twice that of single sheet pile. Dimensionless charts and empirical formulae were presented to help in designing a hydraulic control system. Keywords: Contamination, Solute transport, Hydraulic control, Sheet pile, Groundwater protection, Numerical model