Flow Modelling Of Dual Permeability Systems: The Case Of The Vigolana Massif (Trento, Northern Italy)

The paper deals with the water circulation in rock masses, with particular reference to those karstic/fractured systems in which the porous matrix contribution to flow cannot be neglected. The state of the art proposes different numerical solutions to study dual permeability systems, while analytica...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment 2013-01, Vol.172, p.51
Main Authors: Colombo, L, Gattinoni, P, Rizzo, S, Scesi, L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Computer applications
Computing time
Continuum modeling
Differential equations
Exact solutions
Flow
Flow equations
Karst
Massifs
Mathematical models
Matlab
Parameter sensitivity
Partial differential equations
Permeability
Pipe flow
Porosity
Porous media
Rock masses
Sensitivity analysis
Water circulation
Water distribution
Water transfer
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The paper deals with the water circulation in rock masses, with particular reference to those karstic/fractured systems in which the porous matrix contribution to flow cannot be neglected. The state of the art proposes different numerical solutions to study dual permeability systems, while analytical solutions are pointed out only for dual porosity model. In this study, three different models were developed to study typical dual permeability systems: a numerical code written in Matlab for solving 1-D partial differential equations of flow in dual permeability system, a Single Continuum Model implemented in MODFLOW-2005, a combined model developed in MODFLOW-2005 using the Conduit Flow Process Package. First, the sensitivity of the model responses to different input parameters was evaluated. Then, the different approaches were applied to the case of Vigolana Massif (Trento, Northern Italy), evaluating their ability to reproduce the response of this typical dual permeability system. Modeling results showed that the Single Continuum Model gives a quite good response with a relatively low cost (in terms of required data and computational time), even if it is not properly representative of the examined phenomenon, because it is not able to return and shape the water transfer between matrix and conduit. On the contrary, the Combined Model, solving two flow equations, is perfectly able to reproduce the response of a dual permeability system, but it obviously requires more detailed parameters, often not easy to define. Finally Matlab 1-D code does not reproduce correctly the delay of the matrix response, due to the mono-dimensionality of flow.
ISSN:1746-448X
1743-3541
DOI:10.2495/RBM130051