Migration Law of LNAPLs in the Groundwater Level Fluctuation Zone Affected by Freezing and Thawing

Abstract

Freezing and thawing can cause dynamic fluctuations of the groundwater level, resulting in the migration and retention of LNAPLs. However, this process is difficult to observe visually, and a suitable simulation method for its quantitative calculation is lacking. In this study, a numerical simulation is established by coupling the HYDRUS-1D software and the TOUGH program to realize dynamic simulation of the entire process of soil temperature changes, water migration, water level fluctuation, and redistribution of LNAPLs during the freeze–thaw process. The results of the study show that the process of soil freezing and thawing causes water migration, which in turn causes groundwater level fluctuation, leading to the migration and redistribution of LNAPLs within the water level fluctuation zone. In this process, the soil particle size and porosity control the response degree and speed of the water level under freezing and thawing and the spatiotemporal distribution of LNAPLs by affecting the soil temperature, capillary force, and water migration. The migration ability of free LNAPLs is determined by their own density and viscosity; the retention of residual LNAPLs is affected by soil porosity and permeability as well as LNAPL viscosity. The results of this study can not only be used to develop a simulation method for the migration and retention mechanism of LNAPLs in cold regions but also serve as a scientific and theoretical basis for LNAPL pollution control in seasonal frozen soil regions.