PORE-SCALE MODELING OF REACTIVE TRANSPORT AND MINERAL PRECIPITATION IN POROUS AND FRACTURED MEDIA

A numerical model based on smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) was developed and used to simulate reactive transport and mineral precipitation in porous and fractured porous media. The model was used to study effects of pore scale heterogeneity on reactive transport. Effective reaction rate coefficients and mass transfer coefficients were calculated from the pore-scale model results to illustrate pore-scale controls on bulk reaction behavior. Changes in bulk porosity, hydraulic conductivity and transport parameters resulting from mineral precipitation were also investigated. We found that the SPH, Lagrangian particle method is an effective tool for studying pore scale flow and transport. The particle nature of SPH allows complex physical processes such as diffusion, reaction and mineral precipitation to be modeled with relative ease.