• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.245-255
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• 2005

Three dimensional Monte-Carlo simulations of non-ergodic transport of a non-reactive solute plume by steady-state groundwater flow under a uniform mean velocity in isotropic heterogeneous aquifers were conducted. The log-normally distributed hydraulic conductivity, K(x), is modeled as a random field. Significant efforts are made to reduce the simulation uncertainties. Ensemble averages of the second spatial moments of the plume, $$lt;S_{ij}'(t',l')$gt;$ and plume centroid variances, $$lt;R_{ij}'(t',l')$gt;$ were simulated with 3200 Monte Carlo runs for three variances of log K, $\omega^2_y1.0,,2.5,$ and 5.0, and three dimensionless lengths of line plume sources ( l=,5 and 10) normal to the mean velocity. The simulated second spatial moment and the plume centroid variance in longitudinal direction fit well to the first order theoretical results while the simulated transverse moments are not fit well with the first order results. The first order theoretical results definitely underestimated the simulated transverse second spatial moments for the aquifers of large u: and small initial plume sources. The ergodic condition for the second spatial moments is far from reaching, and the first order theoretical results of the transverse second spatial moment of the ergodic plume slightly underestimated the simulated moments.