Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T11:13:13.019Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Ideality of Clay Membranes in Osmotic Processes: A Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 April 2024

Steven J. Fritz
Steven J. Fritz*
Affiliation:
Department of Geology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas 77843
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Clays can act as osmotic membranes and thus give rise to osmotically induced hydrostatic pressures. The magnitude of generated osmotic pressures in geologic systems is governed by the theoretical osmotic pressure calculated solely from solution properties and by value of the membrane's three phe-nomenological coefficients: the hydraulic permeability coefficient, Lp; the reflection coefficient, σ; and the solute permeability coefficient, ω. Generally, low values of Lp correspond to highly compacted membranes in which σ is near unity and ω approaches zero. Such membrane systems should give rise to initially high osmotic fluxes and gradual dissipation of their osmotic potentials.

The high fluid pressures in the Dunbarton Triassic basin, South Carolina, are a good example of osmotically induced potentials. A unique osmotic cell is created by the juxtaposition of fresh water in the overlying Cretaceous sediments against the saline pore water housed within the membrane-functioning sediments of the Triassic basin. Because wells penetrating the saline core of the basin show anomalously high heads relative to wells penetrating the basin margins, the longevity of this osmotic cell is probably dictated by the rate at which salt diffuses out into the overlying fresh water aquifer.

Keywords

Clay osmosisHydraulic permeabilityHydraulic pressureMembraneOsmotic pressureSolute permeability
Type
Review Article
Information
Clays and Clay Minerals , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , April 1986 , pp. 214 - 223
Copyright
Copyright © 1986, The Clay Minerals Society

References

Bredehoeft, J. D., Blyth, C. R., White, W. A. and Maxey, G. B., 1963 Possible mechanisms for concentration of brines in subsurface formations Amer. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull. 47 257–269.Google Scholar
Freeze, R. A. and Cherry, J. A., 1979 Groundwater New Jersey Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs.Google Scholar
Fritz, S. J. and Eady, C. D., 1985 Hyperfiltration-induced precipitation of calcite Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 49 761–768.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fritz, S. J. and Marine, I. W., 1983 Experimental support for a predictive osmotic model of clay membranes Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 47 1515–1522.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gregor, H. P. and Gregor, C. D., 1978 Synthetic membrane technology Sci. Amer. 239 112–128.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grim, R. E., 1968 Clay Mineralogy New York McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Hanshaw, B. B., 1962 Membrane properties of compacted clays Ph.D. dissertation Massachusetts Harvard University, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Hanshaw, B. B. and Bradley, W. F., 1964 Cation-exchange constants for clays from electrochemical measurements Clays and Clay Minerals, Proc. Natl. Conf., Atlanta, Georgia, 1963 New York Pergamon Press 397–421.Google Scholar
Hanshaw, B. B. and Zen, E., 1965 Osmotic equilibrium and overthrust faulting Geol. Soc. Amer. Bull. 76 1379–1387.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harned, H. S. and Owen, B. B., 1958 The Physical Chemistry of Solutions New York Reinhold.Google Scholar
Hudec, P. P., 1980 Hypersaline brine and clay liner interaction Proc. 3rd Int. Symp. Water-Rock Interaction, Edmonton, Alberta, 1980 Edmonton, Alberta Alberta Research Council 153–154.Google Scholar
Katchalsky, A. and Curran, P. F., 1965 Non-Equilibrium Thermodynamics in Biophysics Cambridge, Massachusetts Harvard University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kedem, O. and Katchalsky, A., 1962 Permeability of composite membranes. I: Electric current, volume flows and flow of solute through membranes Trans. Faraday Soc. 59 1918–1930.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kemper, W. D. and Maasland, D. E. L., 1964 Reduction of salt content of solution on passing through thin films adjacent to charged surfaces Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 28 318–323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kemper, W. D. and Rollins, J. B., 1966 Osmotic efficiency coefficients across compacted clays Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 30 529–534.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kharaka, Y. K. and Berry, F. A., 1973 Simultaneous flow of water and solutes through geologic membranes, I. Experimental investigation Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 37 2577–2603.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kharaka, Y. K. and Smalley, W. C., 1976 How of water and solutes through compacted clays Amer. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull. 60 973–980.Google Scholar
Marine, I. W., 1974 Geohydrology of a buried Triassic basin at Savannah River plant, South Carolina Amer. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull. 58 1825–1837.Google Scholar
Marine, I. W. and Fritz, S. J., 1981 Osmotic model to explain anomalous hydraulic heads Water Resources Res. 17 73–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKelvey, J. G., Milne, I. H. and Swineford, A., 1962 The flow of salt solutions through compacted clays Clays and Clay Minerals, Proc. 9th Natl. Conf., West Lafayette, Indiana, 1960 New York Pergamon Press 248–259.Google Scholar
Miller, D. G., 1966 Applications of irreversible thermodynamics to electrolyte solutions. I. Determination of ionic transport coefficients lij for isothermal vector transport processes in binary electrolyte system J. Phys. Chem. 70 2639–2659.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Olsen, H.W., 1969 Simultaneous fluxes of liquid and charge in saturated kaolinite Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 33 338–344.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, R. A. and Stokes, R. H., 1959 Electrolyte Solutions New York Academic Press.Google Scholar
Srivastava, R. C. and Avasthi, P. K., 1975 Non-equilibrium thermodynamics of thermo-osmosis of water through kaolinite J. Hydrology 24 111–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Staverman, A. J., 1952 Non-equilibrium thermodynamics of membrane processes Trans. Faraday Soc. 48 176–185.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stumm, W. and Morgan, J., 1970 Aquatic Chemistry New York Wiley-Interscience.Google Scholar
Tuwiner, S. B., 1962 Diffusion and Membrane Technology New York Reinhold.Google Scholar
White, D. E., Young, A. and Galley, J., 1965 Saline waters of sedimentary rocks Fluids in Subsurface Environments Tulsa, Oklahoma American Association of Petroleum Geologists.Google Scholar
Young, A. and Low, P. F., 1965 Osmosis in argillaceous rocks Amer. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull. 49 1004–1008.Google Scholar