Hydraulic sand-model studies of miscible-fluid flow

Hydraulic sand models are useful physical tools in the investigation of the transition zone that occurs between salt and fresh ground water in coastal aquifers. Such models are used to demonstrate the effects of transport mechanisms that influence the dynamic behavior and the shape of the transition zone. The techniques employed in obtaining in-place measurements of solute concentrations are generally the stumbling block in generating data for two-dimensional dispersion systems. Two in-place measurement techniques were used in the studies described: (1) conductivity probes when salt was used as a tracer; and (2) photoelectric cells when organic dye was used as a tracer. Results indicate that conductivity methods are more reliable; however, care must be exercised inasmuch as the probes tend to disturb the fluid flow.