| The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the dissolution of nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) trapped within unconsolidated, water-saturated porous media, and to obtain a phenomenological model which describes this mass transfer process. One ubiquitous NAPL in groundwater contamination events, trichloroethylene (TCE), was chosen for the experimental work along with a uniform sand.;A new technique utilizing the attenuation of gamma radiation was developed which allowed for measurement of TCE saturation and the mass transfer rate coefficient (K;The best-fit model indicates that K;To investigate the observed variation of K;The decrease in K;Finally, using the best-fit model to describe dissolution, the significance of using the local equilibrium assumption was investigated. |
