On the Importance of Gravity in DNAPL Invasion of Saturated Horizontal Fractures

Invasion percolation (IP) models of dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL) invasion into saturated horizontal fractures typically neglect viscous and gravity forces, as it is assumed that capillarity dominates in many situations. An IP model simulating DNAPL invasion into saturated horizontal fractures was modified to include gravity as a local effect. The model was optimized using a genetic algorithm, and demonstrated that the inclusion of …