Modelling unsaturated moisture transport in heterogeneous limestone - (Part 2. Macroscopic simulations)

The influence of macro-scale heterogeneities on the imbibition process is investigated for Savonnieres, a French layered limestone. Free uptake experiments are performed both parallel and perpendicular to the bedding. It is found that the position of the different layers, and the exact material properties inside each layer can significantly influence the imbibition process. The experimental results are compared with numerical simulations. For the flow simulations, moisture permeability of the different layers is obtained with the upscaling technique presented in Part 1. Good agreement between simulations and experiments validate the proposed upscaling from meso to macroscopic scale.