• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.503-512
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• 1995

Groundwater flow in fracture networks is simulated using a discrete fracture (DF) model which assume that groundwater flows only through the fracture network. This assumption is available if the permeability of rock matrix is very low. It is almost impossible to describe fracture networks perfectly, so a stochastic approach is used. The stochastic approach assumes that the characteristic parameters in fracture network have special distribution patterns. The stochastic model generates fracture networks with some characteristic parameters. The finite element method is used to compute fracture flows. One-dimensional line element is the element type of the finite elements. The simulation results are shown by dominant flow paths in the fracture network. The dominant flow path can be found from the simulated groundwater flow field. The model developed in this study provides the tool to estimate the influences of characteristic parameters on groundwater flow in fracture networks. The influences of some characteristic parameters on the frcture flow are estimated by the Monte Carlo simulation based on 30 realizations.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.110-113
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• 2005

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of proposed permeable eobarrier system for removal of PCE from groundwater. The materials used for the natural geobarrier are gravel bean and silty clay. In addition, the effect of Pyeongtaek soil on PRB assessed in this experiments. It was observed that the adsorption of PCE in natural geobarrier system is eligible for real site. However, natural geobarrier system has various factors based on using materials. Therefore, more laboratory work is needed to study about permeable geobarrier.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2001.04a
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• pp.98-103
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• 2001

In order to understand the characteristics of leachate at the Seokdae municipal waste landfill in the Pusan city, the correlation between leachate pollution loading and volume of gas production. concentration of gas and subsidence of ground, the characteristical methos, geochemical analyses and laboratory column tests using samples of gases, leachate and surface soil of Seokdae waste landfill area. Through the analysis of water balance, leachate flow rate and pollution loading were estimated. Geistatistical analysis of four gas components ( $O_2$, C $H_4$, $H_2$S and CO) shows the possibility of ground subsidence around the group of a site with high concentration of gas. From geochemical analyses of leachate, EC and Total-Alkalinity of ground subsidence around the group of a site with high concentration of gas. From geochemical analysis of leachate, Ec and Total-Alkalinity were increased, and Cl, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb were decreassed comparing to the part, and the type of water quality was Na-HC $O_3$ in trilinear diagram. It shows that biodecomposition of municipal wastes continues actively. From the analysis of water balance, the total leachate flow rate is about 465.11㎥/day and pure pollution loading of Cl, Mn and Fe are estimated to 223.8kg/day, 0.2kg/day, 0.3kg/day, respectively. The laboratory column test of residual soil and landfill soil shows 0.206cm and 0.019cm for linear velocity(equation omitted), 0.234 $\textrm{cm}^2$/min and 0.018$\textrm{cm}^2$/min for diffusion coefficient ( $D_{ι}$), and 1.136cm and 0.095cm longitudinal dispersion index ($\alpha$$_{ι}$), respective]y. It demonstrates that the delay time of contamination for residual soil is shorter than that of landfill soil.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.367-375
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• 2010

Understanding the interactions between earth materials and fluids is essential for studying the diverse geological processes in the Earth's surface and interior. In order to better understand the interactions between earth materials and fluids, we explore the effect of specific surface area and porosity on structural parameters of pore structures. We obtained 3D pore structures, using random packing simulations of porous media composed of single sized spheres with varying the particle size and porosity, and then we analyzed configurational entropy for 2D cross sections of porous media and cube counting fractal dimension for 3D porous networks. The results of the configurational entropy analysis show that the entropy length decreases from 0.8 to 0.2 with increasing specific surface area from 2.4 to $8.3mm^2/mm^3$, and the maximum configurational entropy increases from 0.94 to 0.99 with increasing porosity from 0.33 to 0.46. On the basis of the strong correlation between the liquid volume fraction (i.e., porosity) and configurational entropy, we suggest that elastic properties and viscosity of mantle melts can be expressed using configurational entropy. The results of the cube counting fractal dimension analysis show that cube counting fractal dimension increases with increasing porosity at constant specific surface area, and increases from 2.65 to 2.98 with increasing specific surface area from 2.4 to $8.3mm^2/mm^3$. On the basis of the strong correlation among cube counting fractal dimension, specific surface area, and porosity, we suggest that seismic wave attenuation and structural disorder in fluid-rock-melt composites can be described using cube counting fractal dimension.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.37-48
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• 2019

In geological $CO_2$ sequestration, the behavior of $CO_2$ within a reservoir can be characterized as two-phase flow in a porous media. For two phase flow, these processes include drainage, when a wetting fluid is displaced by a non-wetting fluid and imbibition, when a non-wetting fluid is displaced by a wetting fluid. In $CO_2$ sequestration, an understanding of drainage and imbibition processes and the resulting NW phase residual trapping are of critical importance to evaluate the impacts and efficiencies of these displacement process. This study aimed to observe migration and residual trapping of immiscible fluids in porous media via cyclic injection of drainage-imbibition. For this purpose, cyclic injection experiments by applying n-hexane and deionized water used as proxy fluid of $scCO_2$ and pore water were conducted in the two dimensional micromodel. The images from experiment were used to estimate the saturation and observed distribution of n-hexane and deionized water over the course drainage-imbibition cycles. Experimental results showed that n-hexane and deionized water are trapped by wettability, capillarity, dead end zone, entrapment and bypassing during $1^{st}$ drainage-imbibition cycle. Also, as cyclic injection proceeds, the flow path is simplified around the main flow path in the micromodel, and the saturation of injection fluid converges to remain constant. Experimental observation results can be used to predict the migration and distribution of $CO_2$ and pore water by reservoir environmental conditions and drainage-imbibition cycles.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.51-61
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• 2013

Researches on the oil recovery enhancement using the nanotechnology has recently been studied in the United States. The previous researches has focused mainly on the flow characteristics of nanoparticles in porous media, and the stability of the nano-emulsion itself. However, the analysis did not deal with the size effects between a nano-emulsion and the pore size which has an important role when nano-emulsion flows in the porous media. In this research, nano-based emulsion was fabricated which is able to be applied for the enhanced oil recovery techniques and its characteristics was analyzed. In addition, in order to identify the characteristics of nano-emulsions flowing through the porous media, the size effect was analysed by filtering test. According to the results, when the emulsion was fabricated, SCA(Silane Coupling Agent) or PVA(Poly Vinyl Alcohol) are added to improve the stability of emulsion. As the ratio of the decane to water increased, the viscosity of emulsion and the droplet size also increased. For the filtering test at the atmospheric conditions, the droplet did not go through the filter; only the separated water from the emulsion was able to be filtered. This phenomenon occurred because the droplet was not able to overcome the capillary pressure. At the filtering test by suction pressure, most of the emulsion was filtered over the filter size of $60{\mu}m$. However, the ratio of filtration was rapidly degraded at less than $45{\mu}m$ filters. This is caused due to deformation and destruction of the droplet by strong shear stress when passing through the pore. The results from the study on the basic characteristic of nano-emulsion and filtering test will be expected to play as the important role for the fabrication of the stable nano-emulsion or the research on the recovery of residual oil in porous media.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.471-484
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• 2002

Alluviums in the Keum River watershed cover an areal extent of $3,029{\;}\textrm{km}^2$ and contain about 8.1 billion tons of groundwater. However, the waters are severely polluted by nitrate, possibly due to the application of nitrogen fertilizer (>250 N kg/ha) on agricultural land. This paper aims to elucidate the pollution status and behaviors of nitrate in alluvial groundwaters in the Keum River watershed area, based on regional hydrogeochemical study. Most of the collected samples (n = 186) are polluted by nitrate (average = 42.2 mg/L, maximum = 295 mg/L). About 29% of the samples have the nitrate concentrations exceeding Korean Drinking Water Standard (44 mg/L $NO_3$). The distribution of nitrate concentrations in the study area is largely dependant on geochemical environments of alluvial aquifers. In particular, the decrease of redox potential of alluvial groundwaters showed a good correlation with the decreases of nitrate, iron, and manganese concentrations. Thus, the change of redox state in alluvial aquifers, likely reflecting their sedimentary environments, controls both the behavior and fate of nitrogen compounds and their natural attenuation (denitrification) in aquifers. A carbon-rich, silty layer within alluvium strata forms a reducing condition and possesses a buffering capacity on nitrate pollution.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2021

It is important to evaluate the fracture network in a rock volume because fractures control the ground conditions and fluid flow characteristics. Therefore, various attempts have been made to quantify fracture networks to better understand ground and flow conditions. The use of fracture density alone (a quantitative parameter based on geometric analysis) does not fully explain the evolution of fracture networks, or quantify the spatial relationship (e.g. connectivity) of fractures in a rock mass. Therefore, the need for fracture network characterization based on topological analysis has recently emerged. In Korea however, the topological analysis of fracture networks within a rock mass has rarely been studied. As such, the definition of the topological analysis of fracture networks and the graph theory related to the topological analysis are briefly summarized in this study. We also introduce an application method for these analyses to fracture characterization. If the topological method is used for the analysis of fracture networks, it can also be adopted to analyze fluid flow characteristics of groundwater, characterize petroleum reservoirs, and analyze the evolution of a fracture network. In addition, topological analysis can be useful for site selection of major facilities such as nuclear waste disposal sites because it can be used to evaluate the stability of the potential sites.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Groundwater Environment
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.141-147
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• 1998

This study was initiated to identify the general groundwater quality and the effects of heavy-metal enrichments in the black shales and coal materials in Dukpyung area. Groundwater quality could be divided into three groups based on the major weathering processes in the groundwater system; Group I of carbonate weathering, Group II of silicate weathering with the probable effects of acidic mine drainage, and Group III of silicate weathering with relatively high concentrations of chloride components in anions. Metal contamination of groundwater was not observed. Locally, however, acidic mine drainage appeared to be produced and recharged into the groundwater system. In addition, contamination by NO$_3$-N ranged 2 to 3 times higher than the drinking water standards, probably due to infiltration of domestic sewage and/or fertilizers into the shallow aquifer.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.165-174
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• 2008

Thermo-hydro-chemico-mechanical evolution of the radioactive waste repository and surrounding geological media is one of the key issues for the radioactive waste disposal. This article describes not only the basic context for the site selection but also a reasonable strategy for the repository related research based on the results of the French repository project carried out by ANDRA (National radioactive waste management agency). To have some alternatives for the determination of a preferable depth and geological media, it would be recommendable to establish a database system. The curing process of the fractures or microfissures in the EDZ (Excavation Disturbed Zone) during operation time has to be examined considering the evolution of the EDZ and the reversibility of the repository. It is prerequisite to carry out a feasibility study and to validate the design concept and design parameters in a properly constructed underground research laboratory (URL) in Korea.