Mass transfer correlations for nonaqueous phase liquid pool dissolution in saturated porous media

Correlations describing the rate of interface mass transfer from singlecomponent nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) pools in saturated subsurface formations are developed. A three‐dimensional contaminant transport model is employed to obtain overall mass transfer coefficients computed from concentration gradients at the NAPLwater interface. The model assumes that the porous medium is homogeneous, the interstitial fluid velocity is steady, and the dissolved solute may sorb under local equilibrium conditions. Furthermore, it is assumed that the dissolved concentration along the NAPL‐water interface is equal to the solubility concentration. Power law correlations relate the overall Sherwood number to the appropriate overall Peclet numbers. Both rectangular and elliptic/circular source geometries are considered. The proposed relationships are fitted to numerically determined mass transfer coefficients, and the correlation coefficients are determined by nonlinear least squares regression. Good agreement between predicted and available experimentally determined overall mass transfer coefficients is observed.