Experimental and numerical studies on chemical grouting into heterogeneous porous media

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With the increasing need for groundwater supplies, there is an urgent need for devising strategies for protecting the precious groundwater resources from contamination. Environmental containment through the use of colloidal silica (CS) based chemical grout is becoming an important step in groundwater protection. CS gels have also been used for geotechnical applications and enhanced oil recovery operations during secondary recovery of petroleum. While there have been some efforts in this vital area, there has not been any concerted effort to understand the processes related to flow and transport of these gelling solutions through porous media. Hence there is an urgent need for a research program to develop our understanding of the processes occurring during chemical grouting through both experimental and numerical investigations in an effort to advance our knowledge towards development of containment technology. The major objective of the research is to understand the mechanisms occurring during chemical grouting into heterogeneous porous media through numerical and experimental studies. The proposed numerical and experimental studies will focus on the effects of density, mathematical coupling of flow and transport, filtration of gel blobs and heterogeneity during the grant period.