Simulation of three-dimensional chemical dissolution of limestone

The development of prediction techniques for the evolution of karstic caves is essential for geohazard prevention because limestone collapse commonly accompanies their complex dissolution process. Previous studies to understand the dissolution mechanisms focus on field-based and/or small-scale experimental approaches. Although several large-scale numerical simulations have been conducted due to improved computing capabilities, mathematical modelling and numerical simulation for the three-dimensional dissolution of limestone remains unavailable. In this study, we examine the three-dimensional dissolution phenomenon of calcium carbonate in limestone and propose mathematical and numerical models based on an advection, reaction, and diffusion system involving Darcy’s law. Additionally, we implement the models using a finite difference method involving the constrained interpolation profile with conservative semi-Lagrangian scheme, and dissolution patterns of the calcium carbonates obtained by the proposed model are presented. The simulation demonstrates that the dissolution of calcium carbonate is strongly related to the groundwater flow, with increasing pores and cavities toward the groundwater flow direction, and the dissolution rate depends on the contact area between the groundwater and limestone.

___

  • [1] Vacher HL, Mylroie JE. “Eogenetic karst from the perspective of an equivalent porous medium”. Carbonates and Evaporites, 17(2), 182-196, 2002.
  • [2] Abbaszadeh M, Nasiri M, Riazi M. “Experimental investigation of the impact of rock dissolution on carbonate rock properties in the presence of carbonated water”. Environmental Earth Sciences, 75(9), 791, 2016.
  • [3] Tiner RW. “Geographically isolated wetlands of the United States”. Wetlands, 23(3), 494-516, 2003.
  • [4] Gutiérrez F, Parise M, De Waele J, Jourde H. “A review on natural and human-induced geohazards and impacts in karst”. Earth-Science Reviews, 138, 61-88, 2014.
  • [5] Pokhrel RM, Kiyota T, Kuwano R, Chiaro G, Katagiri T, Arai I. “Preliminary field assessment of sinkhole damage in Pokhara, Nepal”. ISSMGE International Journal of Geoengineering Case Histories, 3(2), 113-125, 2015.
  • [6] Tang CA, Kaiser PK. “Numerical simulation of cumulative damage and seismic energy release during brittle rock failure-Part I: Fundamentals”. International Journal of Rock Mechanics and Mining Sciences, 35(2), 113-121, 1998.
  • [7] Hirose K, Matsubara H. “Mechanisms of mudcrack formation and growth in bentonite paste”. Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering, 144(4), 04018017, 2018.
  • [8] Mamaghani IH, Aydan Ö, Kajikawa Y. “Analysis of masonry structures under static and dynamic loading by discrete finite element method”. JSCE Structural Engineering and Earthquake Engineering, 16(2), 1-12, 1999.
  • [9] Kumsar H, Aydan Ö, Tano H, Çelik SB, Ulusay R. “An integrated geomechanical investigation, multi-parameter monitoring and analyses of Babadağ-Gündoğdu creep-like landslide”. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 49(6), 2277-2299, 2016.
  • [10] Bouchelaghem F. “A numerical and analytical study on calcite dissolution and gypsum precipitation”. Applied Mathematical Modelling, 34(2), 467-480, 2010.
  • [11] Matsubara H, Yamada T. “Mathematical and numerical modelling of limestone dissolution”. Environmental Geotechnics, Ahead of Print, 2019, Doi:10.1680/jenge.18.00136.
  • [12] Artamonova IV, Gorichev IG, Godunov EB. “Study of calcium and iron carbonate dissolution kinetics in order to resolve corrosion problems in carbonate solutions”. Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, 50(9-10), 605-609, 2015.
  • [13] Aydan Ö. “Some Thoughts on the Risk of Natural Disasters in Ryukyu Archipelago”. International Journal of Environmental Science and Development, 9(10), 282-289, 2018.
  • [14] Aydan Ö, Tokashiki N. “A comparative study on the applicability of analytical stability assessment methods with numerical methods for shallow natural underground openings”. The 13th International Conference of the International Association for Computer Methods and Advances in Geomechanics, Melbourne, Australia, 09-11 May 2011.
  • [15] Zumdahl SS, DeCoste DJ. Introductory Chemistry: A foundation. 8th ed. Brooks Cole Pub. Co, 2018.
  • [16] Turing AM. “The chemical basis of morphogenesis”. Philosophical Transactions of the royal society B, 237(641), 37-72, 1952.
  • [17] Budhu M. Soil Mechanics Fundamentals. 3rd ed. New Jersey, USA, John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2010.
  • [18] Yabe T, Tanaka R, Nakamura T, Xiao F. “An exactly conservative semi-Lagrangian scheme (CIP-CSL) in one dimension”. Monthly Weather Review, 129(2), 332-344, 2001.
  • [19] Nakamura T, Tanaka R, Yabe T, Takizawa K. “Exactly conservative semi-Lagrangian scheme for multi-dimensional hyperbolic equations with directional splitting technique”. Journal of Computational Physics, 174(1), 171-207, 2001.
  • [20] Smolarkiewicz PK, Pudykiewicz JA. “A class of semi-Lagrangian approximations for fluids”. Journal of the Atmospheric Sciences, 49(22), 2082-2096, 1992.
  • [21] Alkattan M, Oelkers EH, Dandurand JL, Schott J. “An experimental study of calcite and limestone dissolution rates as a function of pH from− 1 to 3 and temperature from 25 to 80 C”. Chemical geology, 151(1-4), 199-214, 1998.
  • [22] Boving TB, Grathwohl P. “Tracer diffusion coefficients in sedimentary rocks: correlation to porosity and hydraulic conductivity”. Journal of Contaminant Hydrology, 53(1-2), 85-100, 2001.
  • [23] Chou LEI, Garrels RM, Wollast R. “Comparative study of the kinetics and mechanisms of dissolution of carbonate minerals”. Chemical geology, 78(3-4), 269-282, 1989.
  • [24] Herman JS, Lorah MM. “Calcite precipitation rates in the field: measurement and prediction for a travertine-depositing stream”. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 52(10), 2347-2355, 1988.