Skip to main content
Article
Porosity and Permeability in Sediment Mixtures
Ground Water
  • Patrick J. Kamann
  • Robert W. Ritzi, Wright State University - Main Campus
  • David F. Dominic, Wright State University - Main Campus
  • Caleb M. Conrad
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2007
Abstract

Porosity in sediments that contain a mix of coarser- and finer-grained components varies as a function of the porosity and volume fraction of each component. We considered sediment mixtures representing poorly sorted sands and gravely sands. We expanded an existing fractional-packing model for porosity to represent mixtures in which finer grains approach the size of the pores that would exist among the coarser grains alone. The model well represents the porosity measured in laboratory experiments in which grain sizes and volume fractions were systematically changed within sediment mixtures. Permeability values were determined for these sediment mixtures using a model based on grain-size statistics and the expanded fractional-packing porosity model. The permeability model well represents permeability measured in laboratory experiments using air- and water-based permeametry on the model sediment mixtures.

DOI
10.1111/j.1745-6584.2007.00313.x
Citation Information
Patrick J. Kamann, Robert W. Ritzi, David F. Dominic and Caleb M. Conrad. "Porosity and Permeability in Sediment Mixtures" Ground Water Vol. 45 Iss. 4 (2007) p. 429 - 438 ISSN: 1745-6584
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/robert_ritzi/37/