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Electronic journal of the International Association
for Environmental Hydrology
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JEH Volume 8 (2000), Paper 16, December 2000
Posted December 18, 2000
NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF FLOW AND CONTAMINANT MIGRATION AT A MUNICIPAL
LANDFILL
D. Fatta
C. Naoum
P. Karlis
M. Loizidou
National Technical University of Athens, Laboratory of General
Chemistry, Zographou Campus, Athens, Greece
ABSTRACT
The flow and transport characteristics of the Ano Liosia Landfill site
in Athens, Greece, were simulated by numerical methods using groundwater
flow and contaminant transport models. A methodology for modeling the water
flow and the transport of chlorides in steady state groundwater flow is
presented. The Strack theory, which describes the extension of a simulation
domain from two to three dimensions, is applied. This theory was used to
determine the streamlines and path lines in three-dimensional space. For
most waste disposal systems, interpretations and assumptions regarding
undefined field properties will always have to be made in order to render
the problem tractable. In this study, synthesis of field-measured and literature
values of field properties provided a framework for the validation. The
hydraulic heads derived from simulation fluctuated between 7 and 9 m in
the area of the disposal site. The mean velocity (mean Darcy velocity /
porosity) was found to be 6.5x10 -2 m/day. The pollutant transport
was simulated for 30 years. The simulation gave a plume of chlorides that
extends 1843 m in length and 92 m in depth northwestward from the landfill.
This study has demonstrated that an accurate and efficient computation
of three-dimensional transport under advection - dispersion dominated conditions
is feasible through extension of a two-dimen-sional to a three-dimensional
flow model domain. The possibility of errors that may escape attention
is eliminated when a coupled flow-transport three-dimensional model is
used.
Reference: Fatta, D., C. Naoum, P. Karlis and M. Loizidou; Numerical
Simulation of Flow and Contaminant Migration at a Municipal Landfill,
Journal of Environmental Hydrology, Vol. 8, Paper 16, December 2000.
Dr. Despo Fatta
Laboratory of General Chemistry
National Technical University of Athens
9 Heroon Polytechniou Str.
Zographou Campus
Athens
157 73 Greece
E-mail: dfatta@orfeas.chemeng.ntua.gr