Polymer solutions aid DNAPL (Dense Non Aqueous Phase Liquid)-contaminated soil remediation but are impacted by gravity and viscous forces. This study assesses the interplay between buoyancy and viscous forces in influencing the distribution of DNAPL and the invading phase, by introducing a densified brine (NaI) biopolymer (xanthan) solution as remediation fluid. A matrix of experiments was conducted, encompassing rheological measurements, multiphase flow tests in 1D-columns and 2D-tanks. Numerical modeling was used to assess polymer and DNAPL propagation under different conditions. NaI addition maintains xanthan's shear-thinning yet lowers mid-range shear viscosity 2.6 times. Confined column tests show similar 89 % performance for viscous polymer solutions regardless of density. Unconfined tests mimicking real sites reveal non-densified viscous polymer solution yield mere 0.09 recovery due to density-driven flow. Densified polymer attains radial invasion, boosting recovery to 0.46 with 1.21 aspect ratio. Numerical simulations aligned with experiments, suggesting a near-zero gravity number is necessary to prevent density-driven flow problems. The multiphase flow experiments in confined multilayer system are performed and using the numerical modeling the effects of the permeability contrast and dimensions of the layers on the shape of front are analyzed.

A 3D high-resolution subsurface characteristic (HSC) numerical model to assess migration and distribution of subsurface DNAPLs was developed. Diverse field data, including lithologic, hydrogeologic, petrophysical, and fracture information from both in situ observations and laboratory experiments were utilized for realistic model representation. For the first time, the model integrates hydrogeologic characteristics of both porous (unconsolidated soil (US) and weathered rock (WR)) and fractured rock (FR) media distinctly affecting DNAPLs migration. This allowed for capturing DNAPLs behavior within US, WR, and FR as well as at the boundary between the media, simultaneously. In the 3D HSC model, hypothetical 100-year DNAPLs contamination was simulated, quantitatively analyzing its spatiotemporal distributions by momentum analyses. Twelve sensitivity scenarios examined the impact of WR and FR characteristics on DNAPLs migration, delineating significant roles of WR. DNAPLs primarily resided in WR due to low permeability and limited penetration into FR through sparse inlet fractures. The permeability anisotropy in WR was most influential to determine the DNAPLs fate, surpassing the impacts of FR characteristics, including rock matrix permeability, fracture aperture size, and fracture + rock mean porosity. This study first attempted to apply the field-data-based multiple geological media concept in the DNAPLs prediction model. Consequently, the field-scale effects of WR and media transitions, which have been often overlooked in evaluating DNAPLs contamination, were underscored.