Stochastic Processes Crossing from Ballistic to Fractional Diffusion with Memory: Exact Results

We address the now classical problem of a diffusion process that crosses over from a ballistic behavior at short times to a fractional diffusion (sub- or super-diffusion) at longer times. Using the standard non-Markovian diffusion equation we demonstrate how to choose the memory kernel to exactly respect the two different asymptotics of the diffusion process. Having done so we solve for the probability distribution function (pdf) as a continuous function which evolves inside a ballistically expanding domain. This general solution agrees for long times with the pdf obtained within the continuous random walk approach but it is much superior to this solution at shorter times where the effect of the ballistic regime is crucial

A trigonometric interpolation approach to mixed-type boundary problems associated with permeameter shape factors

[1] Hydraulic conductivity is a fundamental hydrogeological parameter, whose in situ measurement at a local scale is principally performed through injection tests from screened probes or using impermeable packers in screened wells. The shape factor F [L] is a proportionality constant required to estimate conductivity from observed flow rate to injection head ratios, and it depends on the geometric properties of the flow field. Existing approaches for determination of F are either based on geometric or mathematical simplifications and are limited to particular assumptions about the flow domain's external boundaries. The present work presents a general semianalytical solution to steady state axisymmetric flow problems, where external boundaries may be nearby and of arbitrary combinations of impermeable and constant head type. The inner boundary along the probe or well may consist of an arbitrary number of impermeable and constant head intervals resulting in a mixed-type boundary value problem, for which a novel and direct solution method based on trigonometric interpolation is presented. The approach is applied to generate practical nondimensional charts of F for different field and laboratory situations. Results show that F is affected by less than 5% if a minimum distance of 10 probe or well diameters is kept between the injection screen and a nearby boundary. Similarly, minimum packer lengths of two well diameters are required to avoid increasing F by more than 10%. Furthermore, F is determined for laboratory barrel experiments giving guidelines for achieving equal shape factors as in field situations without nearby boundaries. F for the theoretical case of infinitely short packers is shown to be infinitely large

Constructal design of permeable reactive barriers: Groundwater-hydraulics criteria

Unidirectional, steady-state, Darcian flow in a confined homogeneous aquifer is partially intercepted by a permeable reactive barrier (PRB), the shape of which is optimized with the following hydraulic criteria: seepage flow rate through a PRB (equivalent to the width and frontal area of the intercepted part of the plume in 2-D and 3-D cases, correspondingly) and travel time of a marked particle through the PRB interior along streamlines. The wetted perimeter, cross-sectional area and volume of the reactive material are selected as isoperimetric constraints. The PRB contour is modeled as either a constant head line (if the reactive material is much more permeable than the aquifer) or as a refraction boundary (if the reactive material has an arbitrary permeability), on which the hydraulic head and normal flux components in the barrier and aquifer are continuous. In the former case, the complex potential domain of the flow is a tetragon and a broad class of PRBs can be studied. In the latter case, analytical solutions are available for ellipses and ellipsoids (only these classes of shapes are considered in optimization). In the 2-D case and constant head PRB, a novel shape-control technique through the kernels of singular integrals is implemented: the Zhukovskii function is introduced; a Dirichlet boundary-value problem is solved for this function by setting the orientation (with respect to the incident flow direction) of the Darcian velocity vector on the PRB contour as a control function. Unlike similar controls for impermeable airfoils in aerodynamic design, the kernel has two discontinuities, which reflect the flow topology near a hinge (stagnation) point and the PRB tip. The integral is evaluated for V-shaped and curve-shaped PRBs and parametric expressions for the contours are obtained resulting (for the latter case) in a "pointy banana" shape. In the class of a V-shaped PRB, it is proved that a straight-line barrier minimizes the perimeter if the plume width is fixed. In 2- and 3-D refracting PRBs, the Pilatovskii (ellipse) and Poisson (ellipsoid) solutions for the flow field inside and outside the PRB are used for obtaining explicit formulae for the magnitude of the velocity, which is uniform inside the PRB. Simple expressions for the longest travel time within the PRB and the discharge intercepted by it are obtained. The ellipse/ellipsoid axes ratio/ratios are used as control variables in optimization. Extrema are obtained and analyzed for different PRB-aquifer conductivity ratios and for varying angles between the incident velocity vector and the ellipse/ellipsoid axes. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V

Diffusion on random site percolation clusters. Theory and NMR microscopy experiments with model objects

Quasi two-dimensional random site percolation model objects were fabricate based on computer generated templates. Samples consisting of two compartments, a reservoir of H$_2$O gel attached to a percolation model object which was initially filled with D$_2$O, were examined with NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance) microscopy for rendering proton spin density maps. The propagating proton/deuteron inter-diffusion profiles were recorded and evaluated with respect to anomalous diffusion parameters. The deviation of the concentration profiles from those expected for unobstructed diffusion directly reflects the anomaly of the propagator for diffusion on a percolation cluster. The fractal dimension of the random walk, $d_w$, evaluated from the diffusion measurements on the one hand and the fractal dimension, $d_f$, deduced from the spin density map of the percolation object on the other permits one to experimentally compare dynamical and static exponents. Approximate calculations of the propagator are given on the basis of the fractional diffusion equation. Furthermore, the ordinary diffusion equation was solved numerically for the corresponding initial and boundary conditions for comparison. The anomalous diffusion constant was evaluated and is compared to the Brownian case. Some ad hoc correction of the propagator is shown to pay tribute to the finiteness of the system. In this way, anomalous solutions of the fractional diffusion equation could experimentally be verified for the first time.Comment: REVTeX, 12 figures in GIF forma

Regional groundwater flow model for Abu Dhabi Emirate. Scenario-based investigation

Despite the continuous increase in water supply from desalination plants in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, groundwater remains the major source of fresh water satisfying domestic and agricultural demands. Groundwater has always been considered as a strategic water source towards groundwater security in the Emirate. Understanding the groundwater flow system, including identification of recharge and discharge areas, is a crucial step towards proper management of this precious source. One main tool to achieve such goal is a groundwater model development. As such, the main aim of this paper is to develop a regional groundwater flow model for the surficial aquifer in Abu Dhabi Emirate using MODFLOW. Up to our knowledge, this is the first regional numerical groundwater flow model for Abu Dhabi Emirate. After steady state and transient model calibration, several future scenarios of recharge and pumping are simulated. Results indicate that groundwater pumping remains several times higher than aquifer recharge from rainfall, which provides between 2 and 5% of total aquifer recharge. The largest contribution of recharge is due to subsurface inflow from the eastern Oman Mountains. While rainfall induced groundwater level fluctuation is absent in the western coastal region, it reaches a maximum of 0.5 m in the eastern part of the Emirate. In contrast, over the past decades, groundwater levels have declined annually by 0.5 m on average with local extremes spanning from 93 m of decline to 60 m of increase. Results also indicate that a further decrease in groundwater levels is expected in most of Emirate. At other few locations, upwelling of groundwater is expected due to a combination of reduced pumping and increased infiltration of water from nonconventional sources. Beyond results presented here, this regional groundwater model is expected to provide an effective tool to water resources managers in Abu Dhabi. It will help to accurately estimate sustainable extraction rates, assess groundwater availability, and identify pathways and velocity of groundwater flow as crucial information for identifying the best locations for artificial recharge

Constructal design of permeable reactive barriers: Groundwater-hydraulics criteria

Unidirectional, steady-state, Darcian flow in a confined homogeneous aquifer is partially intercepted by a permeable reactive barrier (PRB), the shape of which is optimized with the following hydraulic criteria: seepage flow rate through a PRB (equivalent to the width and frontal area of the intercepted part of the plume in 2-D and 3-D cases, correspondingly) and travel time of a marked particle through the PRB interior along streamlines. The wetted perimeter, cross-sectional area and volume of the reactive material are selected as isoperimetric constraints. The PRB contour is modeled as either a constant head line (if the reactive material is much more permeable than the aquifer) or as a refraction boundary (if the reactive material has an arbitrary permeability), on which the hydraulic head and normal flux components in the barrier and aquifer are continuous. In the former case, the complex potential domain of the flow is a tetragon and a broad class of PRBs can be studied. In the latter case, analytical solutions are available for ellipses and ellipsoids (only these classes of shapes are considered in optimization). In the 2-D case and constant head PRB, a novel shape-control technique through the kernels of singular integrals is implemented: the Zhukovskii function is introduced; a Dirichlet boundary-value problem is solved for this function by setting the orientation (with respect to the incident flow direction) of the Darcian velocity vector on the PRB contour as a control function. Unlike similar controls for impermeable airfoils in aerodynamic design, the kernel has two discontinuities, which reflect the flow topology near a hinge (stagnation) point and the PRB tip. The integral is evaluated for V-shaped and curve-shaped PRBs and parametric expressions for the contours are obtained resulting (for the latter case) in a "pointy banana" shape. In the class of a V-shaped PRB, it is proved that a straight-line barrier minimizes the perimeter if the plume width is fixed. In 2- and 3-D refracting PRBs, the Pilatovskii (ellipse) and Poisson (ellipsoid) solutions for the flow field inside and outside the PRB are used for obtaining explicit formulae for the magnitude of the velocity, which is uniform inside the PRB. Simple expressions for the longest travel time within the PRB and the discharge intercepted by it are obtained. The ellipse/ellipsoid axes ratio/ratios are used as control variables in optimization. Extrema are obtained and analyzed for different PRB-aquifer conductivity ratios and for varying angles between the incident velocity vector and the ellipse/ellipsoid axes. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V

Constructal design of permeable reactive barriers: Groundwater-hydraulics criteria

Unidirectional, steady-state, Darcian flow in a confined homogeneous aquifer is partially intercepted by a permeable reactive barrier (PRB), the shape of which is optimized with the following hydraulic criteria: seepage flow rate through a PRB (equivalent to the width and frontal area of the intercepted part of the plume in 2-D and 3-D cases, correspondingly) and travel time of a marked particle through the PRB interior along streamlines. The wetted perimeter, cross-sectional area and volume of the reactive material are selected as isoperimetric constraints. The PRB contour is modeled as either a constant head line (if the reactive material is much more permeable than the aquifer) or as a refraction boundary (if the reactive material has an arbitrary permeability), on which the hydraulic head and normal flux components in the barrier and aquifer are continuous. In the former case, the complex potential domain of the flow is a tetragon and a broad class of PRBs can be studied. In the latter case, analytical solutions are available for ellipses and ellipsoids (only these classes of shapes are considered in optimization). In the 2-D case and constant head PRB, a novel shape-control technique through the kernels of singular integrals is implemented: the Zhukovskii function is introduced; a Dirichlet boundary-value problem is solved for this function by setting the orientation (with respect to the incident flow direction) of the Darcian velocity vector on the PRB contour as a control function. Unlike similar controls for impermeable airfoils in aerodynamic design, the kernel has two discontinuities, which reflect the flow topology near a hinge (stagnation) point and the PRB tip. The integral is evaluated for V-shaped and curve-shaped PRBs and parametric expressions for the contours are obtained resulting (for the latter case) in a "pointy banana" shape. In the class of a V-shaped PRB, it is proved that a straight-line barrier minimizes the perimeter if the plume width is fixed. In 2- and 3-D refracting PRBs, the Pilatovskii (ellipse) and Poisson (ellipsoid) solutions for the flow field inside and outside the PRB are used for obtaining explicit formulae for the magnitude of the velocity, which is uniform inside the PRB. Simple expressions for the longest travel time within the PRB and the discharge intercepted by it are obtained. The ellipse/ellipsoid axes ratio/ratios are used as control variables in optimization. Extrema are obtained and analyzed for different PRB-aquifer conductivity ratios and for varying angles between the incident velocity vector and the ellipse/ellipsoid axes. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V