ANALYSIS OF UNSATURATED FLOW : SENSITIVITY TO SOIL PARAMETERS

Abstract

Flow through the unsaturated zone is important in many fields of engineering such as agricultural engineering, environmental engineering and ground water hydrology. Flow through unsaturated zone is usually analyzed by solving Richard's equation. In the present work, the effect of unsaturated soil parameters on different processes occurring in the unsaturated zone is studied. For this purpose, a numerical model is developed for solving Richard's equation using finite difference method. The model is applied to study the effect of different unsaturated soil parameters ( saturated hydraulic conductivity, capillary fringe thickness and pore size distribution ) on gravity drainage and infiltration. It is found that these parameters have significant effect on gravity drainage and infiltration and should be given importance while solving problems involving moisture flow and contaminant transport in the unsaturated zone.