Solute spreading enhancement by drainage-imbibition cycles in unsaturated porous media

Solute spreading enhancement by drainage-imbibition cycles in unsaturated porous media | Authorea try { document.documentElement.classList.add('js'); } catch (e) { } var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'G-8VDV14Y67G']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); Skip to main content Preprints Collections Wiley Open Research IET Open Research Ecological Society of Japan All Collections About About Authorea FAQs Contact Us Quick Search anywhere Search for preprint articles, keywords, etc. Search Search ADVANCED SEARCH SCROLL This is a preprint and has not been peer reviewed. Data may be preliminary. 6 February 2025 V1 Latest version Share on Solute spreading enhancement by drainage-imbibition cycles in unsaturated porous media Authors : Ali Saeibehrouzi 0009-0007-1678-358X [email protected] , Petr Denissenko , Ran Holtzman 0000-0003-0826-6826 , Vasily Kantsler , and Soroush Abolfathi Authors Info & Affiliations https://doi.org/10.22541/au.173887039.91867014/v1 Published Water Research Version of record Peer review timeline 278 views 171 downloads Contents Abstract Supplementary Material Information & Authors Metrics & Citations View Options References Figures Tables Media Share Abstract Transport of solute species under unsaturated conditions, where multiple immiscible fluids coexist, is a common occurrence in various environmental and engineering applications within subsurface porous media. In this study, we integrate microfluidic experiments and direct simulation to analyze the effect of successive drainage-imbibition cycles on solute transport, a process that is not yet well understood in the context of unsaturated porous media. The spatial distribution of phases is found by experiments, and the transport process is modeled by high-fidelity direct numerical simulation, remarkably reducing computational costs and enabling individual investigation of injection cycles. We show that while the volume of percolating pathways of carrier fluid (where transport happens) stabilizes at an approximately constant level after a few cycles, the interplay between drainage-imbibition cycles and hysteresis phenomenon enhances solute spreading from cycle to cycle. Through the analysis of mobile and immobile pathways, we demonstrate that the effect of drainage-imbibition cycles on the mixing of solute species becomes negligible after one-two cycles. These results advance our understanding of the complex dynamics of unsaturated transport, providing new insights into the impacts of cyclic variations in soil water content, a critical environmental challenge. Supplementary Material File (saeibehrouzi_main_merged.pdf) Download 14.71 MB Information & Authors Information Version history V1 Version 1 06 February 2025 Peer review timeline Published Water Research Version of Record 1 Sep 2025 Published Copyright This work is licensed under a Non Exclusive No Reuse License. Keywords drainage-imbibition cycles microfluidic experiments mixing pore-scale simulations solute dispersion unsaturated transport Authors Affiliations Ali Saeibehrouzi 0009-0007-1678-358X [email protected] School of Engineering, University of Warwick View all articles by this author Petr Denissenko School of Engineering, University of Warwick View all articles by this author Ran Holtzman 0000-0003-0826-6826 Centre for Fluid and Complex Systems, Coventry University View all articles by this author Vasily Kantsler Department of Physics, University of Warwick View all articles by this author Soroush Abolfathi School of Engineering, University of Warwick View all articles by this author Metrics & Citations Metrics Article Usage 278 views 171 downloads .FvxKWukQNSOunydq8rnd { width: 100px; } Citations Download citation Ali Saeibehrouzi, Petr Denissenko, Ran Holtzman, et al. Solute spreading enhancement by drainage-imbibition cycles in unsaturated porous media. Authorea . 06 February 2025. 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