Jorge Luis Rodriguez
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NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF WATER FLOW THROUGH UNSATURATED SOIL IN VERTICAL AND INCLINED LAYERED SYSTEMS by Jorge Luis Rodriguez A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Science In Geotechnical Engineering Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Alberta © Jorge Luis Rodriguez, 2016 Abstract In past decades, there were discussions explaining the mechanisms and factors that influence water flow through soil in unsaturated conditions. This phenomenon is of major importance to the mining industry as water is one of the trigger mechanisms for Acid Rock Generation (ARD) generation. In 1999, Newman evaluated water flow in unsaturated conditions for two column experiments using a vertical layer system of sandy materials and waste rock from the Golden Sunlight mine. Later in 2009, Andrina analyzed water flow using waste rock from the Grasberg Mine in three Meso-scale experiments to understand flow mechanisms for incline layers of waste rock. The current study focuses on modeling the two column experiments by Newman and the three Meso-scale panels by Andrina to analyze the mechanisms controlling water flow in unsaturated soils. Additionally, one of the models is evaluated under three additional materials to compare the effect of different hydraulic properties in an incline layering system. With finite element methods, the experiments are modeled and calculated under equal boundary conditions. The use of climate boundaries recreates the precipitation flux and head pressure boundary to generate the suction from the discharge points. The models are run using SvFlux software, which runs an automatic mesh refinement algorithm and solves the Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) using FlexPDE. The models are validated based on the correlation of the discharge volume from each experiment. The results from the models describe the profile changes of head pressure (hp), flux, flow paths, and matric suction to describe the mechanism of flow in the unsaturated conditions. The validation of the models was achieved through back analyzing the different tests in the experiments, due to the low correlation of the model using the laboratory properties and the experimental results. The back analysis of the material is focused on the air entry value, and the saturated hydraulic conductivity as a means to change the unsaturated flow. The result from the research displays similarities and disagreements between the models and experiments. The models showed that the measured discharge from a particular material does not represent the preferential flow path of water, as a small gradient in the pressure distribution can generate breakthrough at the base of the system. Page | ii Acknowledgements I start to thank my parents for the enormous effort to help me achieve my dreams, giving me their unconditional support in every step of way. They always believe in me and push me to higher goals. I would also like to thank my wife Diana, the most special woman I've ever met, helping me in every day of my Masters, giving me the company, affection, and support. Despite the distance during all this time our love grew unimaginably. Thank you for always giving company and helping me in the darkest days. I also want to give a special acknowledgement to my supervisor Dr. Ward Wilson without whom this project would not have been possible, a great mentor who taught me great things. Thank you very much for giving me the unique opportunity to work under your wing, Thank you very much for believing and trusting me. A very special appreciation to Dr. Macciotta for helping me, even though he did not have any obligation, but gave me guidance nonetheless to proceed with my research in the different stages of the investigation, and also helped me evaluate the early edition of the thesis. Thank you Dr. Andrina for taking the time to clarify the procedures and giving more detailed information from the experiment that she conducted in her PhD. Thank you to Vivian Giang for all the grammatical tips and quick revisions you provided me. Sally and Lorene, thank you very much for everything you did for me, helping me with all department procedures and letters in the department. I want to thank all the people who were part of my academic process, all the friends I made that in one way or another gave me their advice, particularly Ahlam Abdulnabi for all the talk about unsaturated flow mechanics. Finally, I would like to thank the University of Alberta and the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering. I feel an honor to become a former student at this prestigious institution. Page | iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS III CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1. BACKGROUND 1 1.2. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 3 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 4 2.1. WATER IN MINE WASTE ROCK 4 2.2. WASTE ROCK EMBANKMENT IN GOLDEN SUNLIGHT MINE 6 2.3. FLOW PATH OF WATER INFILTRATION FROM THE SURFACE 10 2.4. LATERAL FLOW IN A VERTICAL COLUMN 12 2.4.1. LABORATORY TEST PROGRAM 12 2.4.1. EXPERIMENT CONDITIONS 15 2.4.2. MATERIAL PROPERTIES 16 2.4.3. EXPERIMENT RESULTS 20 2.5. WATER FLOW MODEL IN WASTE ROCK EMBANKMENTS 23 2.6. FLOW IN INCLINE LAYERING SYSTEM 28 2.6.1. SINGLE LAYER SYSTEM 28 2.6.2. DOUBLE LAYER SYSTEM 30 2.6.3. MULTIPLE LAYER SYSTEM 32 2.7. SUMMARY 45 CHAPTER 3 THEORY AND UNSATURATED FLOW 47 3.1. UNSATURATED SOILS 47 Page | iv 3.1.1. SOIL WATER CHARACTERISTIC CURVE 49 3.1.1. ESTIMATION OF THE HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY CURVE 53 3.2. WATER FLOW IN UNSATURATED CONDITION 55 3.3. NUMERICAL MODELING FOR WATER FLOW IN UNSATURATED SOILS 57 3.3.1. FLOW LAWS 59 3.3.2. MASS BALANCE 60 3.3.3. PDE FOR UNSATURATED STEADY STATE WATER FLOW 61 3.4. SUMMARY 62 CHAPTER 4 NUMERICAL MODEL OF WATER FLOW IN UNSATURATED COLUMN LAYERED SYSTEM 64 4.1. INTRODUCTION 64 4.2. OBJECTIVES 64 4.3. LABORATORY COLUMN EXPERIMENT 65 4.3.1. MATERIAL CHARACTERISTICS 68 4.3.2. EXPERIMENT RESULTS 74 4.3.1. SEEP/W SIMULATION RESULTS 76 4.4. NUMERICAL MODEL 79 4.4.1. MODELLING METHODOLOGY 80 4.4.2. MODELING ASSUMPTIONS 84 4.4.3. THEORY ADOPTED BY THE NUMERICAL INTEGRATION FOR A COLUMN LAYERED SYSTEM 84 4.4.4. MODEL BOUNDARY CONDITIONS 87 4.5. WATER FLOW SIMULATION RESULTS 88 4.5.1. WATER FLOW IN SANDY MATERIAL 88 4.5.2. WATER FLOW IN WASTE ROCK MATERIAL 103 4.5.3. INTERNAL RESPONDS FOR SENSITIVITY MODELS 107 4.5.4. HIGHEST CORRELATION CONDITIONS FOR THE COLUMN EXPERIMENT 113 4.6. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 115 4.7. CONCLUSIONS 118 CHAPTER 5 NUMERICAL MODEL OF WATER FLOW MODEL IN INCLINE LAYERED SYSTEM 120 Page | v 5.1. INTRODUCTION 120 5.2. OBJECTIVES 120 5.3. MESO-SCALE PANEL EXPERIMENT 121 5.3.1. MATERIAL PROPERTIES 126 5.3.2. EXPERIMENT RESULTS 128 5.4. NUMERICAL MODEL 131 5.4.1. MODEL METHODOLOGY 132 5.4.2. MODEL ASSUMPTION 135 5.4.3. THEORY ADOPTED FOR THE NUMERICAL INTEGRATION FOR A COLUMN LAYERED SYSTEM 135 5.4.4. MODEL BOUNDARY CONDITIONS 138 5.5. SIMULATION OF PANEL-1 140 5.5.1. SIMULATION APPLYING EXPERIMENTAL CONDITIONS AND MEASURE PROPERTIES 140 5.5.2. SIMULATION OF PANEL-1 WITH CALIBRATED PROPERTIES 144 5.6. SIMULATION OF PANEL-2 152 5.7. SIMULATION OF PANEL-3 157 5.8. ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION 167 5.8.1. MODELLING OF MESO-SCALE PANELS 168 5.8.2. NUMERICAL MODEL COMPARISON 175 5.9. CONCLUSIONS 177 CHAPTER 6 CONCLUSIONS 180 6.1. FURTHER RESEARCH 181 APPENDIX 183 A. Back Analysis of ksat for BCS in Column-1 183 B. Back Analysis of Ksat for SS in Column-1 186 C. Back Analysis of AEV for BCS in Column-1 188 D. Back Analysis of Ksat For WR in Column-2 190 E. Water Flow Transfer in Sandy Soil 192 F. Water Flow Transfer in Waste rock 198 Page | vi G. Pressure Profiles In Column-1 Using Sandy Soils 200 H. Pressure Profiles In Column-2 Using Waste Rock 203 I. Profile Results from Simulation in Column-1 204 J. Profile Results from Simulation in Column-2 208 K. Calibration of Acid Rock in Panel-1 209 L. Simulation Profiles in Panel-1 218 M. Simulation Profiles in Panel-2 221 N. Simulation Profiles in Panel-3 223 O. Simulation of Panel-1 Under Different Material Properties 226 REFERENCES 246 Page | vii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 2.1 ARD Trigger Mechanisms (INAP, 2009, p. Chapter 4) ____________________________________ 4 Figure 2.2 Types of Hydrostratigraphy in Rock Pile Embankments __________________________________ 5 Figure 2.3 Waste Rock Benches (Wilson, 2003) _________________________________________________ 7 Figure 2.4 Waste Rock Embankment Structure (Wilson, 2001) _____________________________________ 8 Figure 2.5 Water Cycle in a Waste Rock Embankment (Herasymuik, 1996) ___________________________ 9 Figure 2.6 Column Design Experiment for Horton and Hawkins (1965) ______________________________ 11 Figure 2.7 Scheme of Laboratory Column 1 after Newman (1999) _________________________________ 14 Figure 2.8 Scheme of Laboratory Column 2 after Newman (1999) _________________________________ 14 Figure 2.9 Soil Water Characteristic Curve for Materials in Column-1 Wilson (1990), Swanson (1991), Newman (1999) _________________________________________________________________________ 17 Figure 2.10 Hydraulic Conductivity Curve for Material in Column-1 (Newman, 1999) __________________ 18 Figure 2.11 Soil Water Characteristic Curve for Materials in Column-2 (Herasymuik, 1996) _____________ 19 Figure 2.12 Hydraulic Conductivity Curve for Material in Column-1 (Herasymuik, 1996) ________________ 20 Figure 2.13 Total Discharge of the Fine Material for Column-1, after Newman (1999) _________________ 21 Figure 2.14 Total Discharge of the Coarse Material for Column-1, after Newman (1999) _______________ 21 Figure 2.15 Total Discharge for Column-2, after Newman (1999) __________________________________ 23 Figure 2.16 Model Results for EPM and TPROGS at T=65 Days A) Material Zone; B) Pressure Head; C) Saturation (Broda, et al., 2013) _____________________________________________________________ 26 Figure 2.17 Saturation Distribution in 5 Days (a) and Change in Time of Total Flow Entering the Base Compacted Layer (b) In X=35 M (Broda, et al., 2013) ____________________________________________ 27 Figure 2.18 General Characteristics of Soil Tank (Lv, et al., 2013) __________________________________ 29 Figure 2.19 Profile of Vector Flow at 100 Hr for a Tank Inclination of 9° and 19° (Lv, et al., 2013, p.