PNNL

Abstract

Migration of concentrated NaNO3solutions in homogeneous packs of pre-wetted silica sands was investigated using a light transmission system. Solutions of 5 molal NaNO3 were found to migrate downward 24-62% faster than pure water, in an unstable, fingered manner. This behavior was attributed primarily to surface tension induced, non-zero apparent contact angle between the imbibing and the resident fluids. For saline solutions of similar surface tension to that of pure water (achieved by the addition of 2% methanol), the migration rates and plume shapes were comparable to that of water, demonstrating that density was not the primary source of the observed differences in migration patterns. At depths where resident saturation increased above residual, the migration process appeared to occur via film flow with slight changes in saturation (