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Thermal, suction and osmotic gradients interact during evaporation from a salty soil. Vapor fluxes become the main water flow mechanism under very dry conditions. A coupled nonisothermal multiphase flow and reactive transport model was developed to study mass and energy transfer mechanisms during an evaporation experiment from a sand column. Very dry and hot conditions, including the formation of a salt crust, necessitate the modification of the retention curve to represent oven dry conditions. Experimental observations (volumetric water content, temperature and concentration profiles) were satisfactorily reproduced using mostly independently measured parameters, which suggests that the model can be used to assess the underlying processes. Results show that evaporation concentrates at a very narrow front and is controlled by heat flow, and limited by salinity and liquid and vapor fluxes. The front divides the soil into a dry and saline portion above and a moist and diluted portion below. Vapor diffusses not only upwards but also downwards from the evaporation front, as dictated by temperature gradients. Condensation of this downward flux causes dilution, so that salt concentration is minimum and lower than the initial one, just beneath the evaporation front. While this result is consistent with observations, it required adopting a vapor diffusion enhancement factor of 8

Thermal, suction and osmotic gradients interact during evaporation from a salty soil. Vapor fluxes become the main water flow mechanism under very dry conditions. A coupled nonisothermal multiphase flow and a reactive transport model of a salty sand soil was developed to study such an intricate system. The model was calibrated with data from an evaporation experiment (volumetric water content, temperature and concentration). The retention curve and relative permeability functions were modified to simulate oven dry conditions. Experimental observations were satisfactorily reproduced, which suggests that the model can be used to assess the underlying processes. Results show that evaporation is controlled by heat, and limited by salinity and liquid and vapor\ud fluxes. Below evaporation front vapor flows downwards controlled by temperature\ud gradient and thus generates a dilution. Vapor diffusion and dilution are strongly influenced by heat boundary conditions. Gas diffusion plays a major role in the magnitude\ud of vapor fluxes.Postprint (published version