Simultaneous Fluxes of Liquid and Charge in Saturated Kaolinite

Abstract

Abstract Experimental data obtained on a liquid saturated sample of sodium kaolinite consolidated under 408 kg/cm 2 , show that the simultaneous fluxes of liquid and charge under hydraulic, electrical, and electrolyte concentration gradients obey the macroscopic rate laws derived from the irreversible thermodynamics of discontinuous systems, except that the experimental flux versus driving force relations possess hydraulic and electrical potential intercepts. It is proposed that the intercepts arise from electrolyte concentration gradients within the sample, generated by differential salt filtering at the sample surfaces during consolidation increments. This mechanism is suggested by nonsymmetrical details in the mechanical system used to consolidate the sample, and it provides an explanation for the intercepts which is not inconsistent with the fundamental postulates of irreversible thermodynamics.