Influence of retention curve parameter α on capillary barrier efficiency
This study is focused on the calculation of parameter α of the wetting branch of the retention curve and on the influence of its value on the efficiency of capillary barriers. The capillary barrier is a simple method of insulating landfills. The effectiveness of the capillary barriers was tested using numerical models, which allow greater testing variability compared to physical measurement. Thanks to numerical models, it was possible to evaluate the direct effect of changing the parameters of retention curves on the functioning of capillary barriers. Hysteresis of retention curves was included in the construction of the numerical models, and then its effect on the agreement of the model results with the measured data was evaluated. Numerical modelling is a suitable and reliable tool for verifying the efficiency of capillary barriers. Due to the sensitivity of the results to the parameters of the task, it is necessary to determine as precisely as possible all the necessary input parameters so that the resulting model has real informative value.
