• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.1-7
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• 2003

A modified model was developed for solute transport in porous media that can consider the movement of an LNAPL above the water table. From the results of sensitivity analyses with and without considering LNAPL movement, there are some differences according to the hydraulic gradient, the quantity of oil leakage and dispersivity. The mean deviation between the model in this study and a conventional model without LNAPL movement increases as the hydraulic gradient decreases and the quantity of oil leakage increases. Variation of dispersivity has no influence on the magnitude of the mean deviation. However, the spatial distribution of the deviation between the two models is wider as dispersivity increases. Furthermore, groundwater is at high risk of contamination in the vertical direction in the case that transverse dispersion value is large. A conventional model underestimates the concentration of solute in an aquifer where the movement of an LNAPL cannot be negligible: Based on the study results, it is important to understand how fast the LNAPL moves on the water table for realistic prediction of solute transport in an aquifer with the movable LNAPL on the water table.