@article{fdi:010063883,
  title = {{S}olute transport in periodical heterogeneous porous media : importance of observation scale and experimental sampling},
  author = {{M}ajdalani, {S}. and {C}hazarin, {J}ean-{P}hilippe and {D}elenne, {C}. and {G}uinot, {V}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}his paper focuses on the effects of the observation scale and sampling on the dispersion of tracers in periodical heterogeneous porous media. {A} {M}odel {H}eterogeneous {P}orous {M}edium ({MHPM}) with a high degree of heterogeneity was built. {I}t consists of a preferential flow path surrounded by glass beads. 44 tracer experiments were carried out on several series of periodic {MHPM} to investigate the effect of the observation scale on solute dispersion. {E}ach series was replicated several times, allowing for a statistical description of the unit transfer function of the {MHPM}. {N}o significant trend was found for the dispersion coefficient as a function of the size of the {MHPM}. {H}owever, given the variability of the breakthrough curves from one experiment replicate to another, under-sampling might easily lead to conclude that the dispersion coefficient is variable with distance. {D}epending on the samples used, it would be as easy to(wrongly) detect anincreasing-trend as to detect a-decreasing one. {A} confidence interval-analysis of the experimental breakthrough curves in the {L}aplace space shows that (i) there exists a model with scale independent parameters that can describe the experimental breakthrough curves within the limits of experimental uncertainty, (ii) this model is not the advection-dispersion ({AD}) model, (iii) the modelling error of the {AD} model decreases with the number of periods, (iv) the size of the {R}eference {E}lementary {V}olume for the dispersion coefficient is between 10 and 20 periods. {T}he effects of sampling prove to override those of scaling. {T}his, with the invalidity of the {AD} model, leads to question attempts to calibrate and/or identify trends in the dispersion coefficient at intermediate scales from a limited number of experiment replicates.},
  keywords = {{D}ispersion modelling ; {I}ntermediate {S}cale {E}xperiment ; {H}eterogeneous media},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{J}ournal of {H}ydrology},
  volume = {520},
  numero = {},
  pages = {52--60},
  ISSN = {0022-1694},
  year = {2015},
  DOI = {10.1016/j.jhydrol.2014.10.065},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010063883},
}