My teaching, research, and consulting cover the areas of groundwater hydrology and hydraulics, management of water resources, subsurface contamination and remediation, and the general theory of transport phenomena in porous media. Specifically:
- Groundwater hydrology This includes conceptual, mathematical and numerical modelling of groundwater flow and contaminant transport in confined, leaky and water-table aquifers, sea water intrusion into coastal aquifers, well hydraulics, pumping tests to determine aquifer coefficients, artificial recharge of aquifers, groundwater storage in aquifers, model calibration, determination of safe yield of aquifers, optimal utilization and management of groundwater resources, quality control of groundwater. Also, conceptual, mathematical and numerical modeling of flow and contaminant transport in the unsaturated zone, especially in connection with contamination by hazardous and toxic materials, and remediation techniques to remove pollutants from the subsurface.
- Transport phenomena in porous media. This is the major area of my research since about the 1970’s. I have been dealing with the fundamentals that describe the transport of all extensive quantities–mass of fluid phases, mass of chemical components in fluid phases, momentum and energy (heat) in single and multiple-phase systems, in rigid and deformable porous media, under isothermal or nonisothermal conditions. I have developed a unified approach to modeling all these transport phenomena–first as conceptual models and then as well-posed mathematical ones–as required for the solution of problems encountered in practice. Such problems are encountered in connection with groundwater utilization and contamination, in chemical engineering, in petroleum engineering–where we have multiphase flow in reservoirs, in energy storage (heat storage in the saturated and unsaturated zones, and compressed air energy storage in aquifers), in geothermal engineering, in gas storage in suitable confined geological formations and in industry.
- Since 2002 I have been active as researcher in a number of research projects conducted within the framework of the 6th and 7th research programs of the European Community. The last three projects, during the period 2008-2017 (MUSTANG, PANACEA. TRUST) dealt with CO2 disposal in deep brine-containing geological formations.
- Modeling flow and contaminant transport in the subsurface. Research and consulting on modeling subsurface contamination, in both the saturated (aquifers) and unsaturated zones. Single and multiphase flow. Spreading of contaminants in the subsurface. Contamination by dissolved chemical species in single and multiphase flow, and the movement of NAPLs in the subsurface. Remediation of contaminated subsurface. Contamination in variable density flow.
- Policy research and management of water resources. I developed a general approach to establishing a policy aiming at achieving specified goals, in national and regional water resource systems, with multiple objectives and criteria.
- I have been acting as consultant on groundwater hydrology and management and development of water resources to the Hydrological Service, Water Commission, Ministry of Agriculture., (1960-1987), to Water Planning for Israel Ltd. (TAHAL) (1960-1989), to Sandia National Laboratory, to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (since 1990), and to private companies in Israel and abroad. My main research in recent years has been on subsurface (both aquifers and the unsaturated zone) contamination by hazardous materials and remediation of contaminated subsurface.
RECENT RESEARCH (Funded by the European Community):
1. MUSTANG…A MUltiple Space and Time scale Approach for the quaNtification of deep saline formations for CO2 storaGe . A project funded by the EC within the framework of FP7-Energy . The project’s consortium includes some 19 universities and industries. Project started in 2009 and ended 2013.
2. PANACEA….Predicting and monitoring the long-term behavior of CO2 injected in deep geological Formations. A project funded by the EC within the framework of FP7-Energy. The project’s consortium includes some 18 universities and industries. Project started in 2012 and ended 2015.
3. TRUST …..High resolution monitoring, real time visualization and reliable modeling of highly controlled, intermediate and up-scalable size pilot injection tests of underground storage of CO2…..A project funded by the EC within the framework of FP7-Energy. The project’s consortium includes some 18 universities and industries. Project started in 2012 and ended 2017.