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Simultaneous measurement of water flux density vectors and thermal properties under drainage conditions in soils

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Abstract

River water and groundwater are used to irrigate paddy fields and are also principal sources of drinking water for humans. It is important to understand the transport characteristics of water (e.g., direction and intensity of water flow), when grasping a pollution situation in the soil. Endo and Hara (Soc Inst Contr Eng Trans Ind App 2:88–95, 2003) developed the Quintuple-Probe Heat-Pulse (QPHP) sensor to identify water flux density vectors and thermal properties under saturated and steady state conditions. However, there has not yet been any investigation of moisture transfer under transient conditions such as during internal drainage and mid-summer drainage of paddy fields. Only Sand has been used in previous experiments, and examinations with Loamy and Clayey soils have not yet led to done. Simultaneous measurements of the water flux density vectors and thermal properties of soil texture of three types under drainage conditions as well as the soil moisture transfer analysis with Finite Element Method (FEM), were done. The representative drainage flow was indicated as downward, except in the Sandy-Clayey Loam, in which the rightward flux exceeded the downward flux owing to anisotropy of the soil-pore structure and hydraulic conductivity. The apparent horizontal/vertical advanced distance was introduced in order to know about how water moved through the soil column. The estimated volumetric water content was in good agreement with the measured value. Thus, this measurement method was shown to be valid under transient water flow conditions.

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Abbreviations

C :

Concentration of dissolved fertilizer (mg m−3)

C w :

Soil–water capacity (cm−1)

H :

Dimensionless number about temperature (–)

J :

Solute (e.g., dissolved fertilizer) flux (mg m−2)

K s :

Saturated hydraulic conductivity (cm s−1)

K u :

Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (cm s−1)

L :

Probe length (m)

m :

Parameter of van Genuchten’s soil water characteristics function (=1/(1−n))

n :

Parameter of van Genuchten’s soil water characteristics function (–)

q :

Water flux density (m3 m−2 s−1)

q h :

Horizontal component of water flux density (m3 m−2 s−1)

q v :

Vertical component of water flux density (m3 m−2 s−1)

q 0 :

Heat quantity per unit length per unit time (W m−1)

Q :

Heat quantity per unit length (J m−1)

r :

Rod-to-rod spacing (m)

R :

Heater resistance (ohm)

t :

Elapsed time (min)

t 0 :

Heat pulse period (=20 s)

t m :

Time when maximum temperature occurred (min)

u :

Thermal front advection velocity (m s−1)

v :

Pore water velocity (m s−1)

{h n, v n}:

Apparent horizontal/vertical advanced distance (cm)

α :

Parameter of van Genuchten’s soil water characteristics function (cm−1)

γ:

Slope of vertical flux with time (=Δq v/Δt)

ΔE :

Differences of voltage (mV)

ΔT :

Differences of temperature (°C)

ɛ:

Relative error (–)

θ :

Volumetric water content (cm3 cm−3)

κ:

Thermal diffusivity of bulk soil (m−2 s−1)

λ:

Thermal conductivity of bulk soil (W m−1 K−1)

ρc:

Volumetric heat capacity of bulk soil (MJ m−3 K−1)]

(ρc)w :

Volumetric heat capacity of pore water (MJ m−3 K−1)

σ:

Thermo-electromotive force (mV K−1)

Ψ:

Matric suction (cm H2O)

QPHP:

Quintuple-Probe Heat-Pulse

TDR:

Time domain reflectometry

FEM:

Finite element method

TC:

Thermocouple junction

TFAV:

Thermal front advection velocity

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute for the Agro-Environmental Sciences, 3-1-3 Kannondai, Tsukuba, 305-8604, Japan

    Akira Endo

  2. Iwate University, 3-18-8 Ueda, Morioka, 020-8550, Japan

    Michihiro Hara

Authors
  1. Akira Endo
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  2. Michihiro Hara
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Correspondence to Akira Endo.

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Endo, A., Hara, M. Simultaneous measurement of water flux density vectors and thermal properties under drainage conditions in soils. Paddy Water Environ 5, 171–180 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-007-0081-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10333-007-0081-y

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