Influence of Internal Structure and Medium Length on Transport and Deposition of Suspended Particles: A Laboratory Study

A laboratory study was undertaken on the transport and the deposition of suspended particles (silt of modal diametre 6 μm) in three columns of different length, filled with glass beads or gravel. Tracer tests were carried out at various flow velocities by short pulses of a mixture of suspended particles/dissolved tracer. The breakthrough curves were competently described with the analytical solution of a convection dispersion equation with a first-order deposition rate and the hydro-dispersive parameters were deduced. For the same experimental conditions, the results showed a difference in the behaviour of the suspended particles transport and deposition rates within the two porous media tested. The internal structure of both media governs the particle-grain collision frequency as well as the particles trapping. The scale effect was highlighted and affects the dispersivity, the size exclusion effect, the recovery rates and the deposition rates. Longitudinal dispersion increases with mean pore velocity and is described with a nonlinear relationship. The dispersivity increases with the column length. The size exclusion effect is more important in the short column. The recovery rate increases with flow velocity and decreases while increasing column length. The deposition rates increases until a critical flow velocity then decreases. This critical velocity is also sensitive to the scale effect, and increases with the column length.