Title: Spatio-temporal prediction of spill crude-base contaminant transport through selected porous soil matrix

Authors: Isaac F. Odesola; Ebenezer O. Ige; Abolaji A. Alagbe; Ndubuisi U. Okereke

Addresses: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 200284, Nigeria ' Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, 360231, Nigeria ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, 200284, Nigeria ' Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, 360231 Nigeria

Abstract: Based on petroleum resource annual report of 1997, there has been occurrence of over 60,000 oil spills since the 40 years of oil exploration in Nigeria. The transport of contaminants has been a problematic issue for many years, mainly due to the adverse impact of the contaminants on the quality of groundwater. Predicting the effect and movement of the contaminant in soils and groundwater is essential to access and reduce the risk of soil contamination and groundwater pollution. We investigated contamination transport by modelling the flow of contaminants in the soil matrix. Darcy's law was employed to predict the permeability, porosity and hydraulic conductivity of the soil for different soil conditions. We developed 2D Numerical model for transport of diluted species under time-variant conditions was developed using advection-diffusion equation implemented using finite element technique over 2D computation domain with oil spill assumed drop diameter of 30 cm. The results presented in this report could be employed for developing enduring remediation strategies in reclaiming crude devastated soil.

Keywords: spill crude; soil matrix; crude oil; Darcy law; advection-diffusion transport.

DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2018.097183

Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal, 2018 Vol.12 No.4, pp.401 - 418

Received: 16 Oct 2017
Accepted: 15 Sep 2018
Published online: 02 Jan 2019 *

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