Analysis of depth-dependent pressure head of slug tests in highly permeable aquifers

A curve-matching method is developed for the analysis of depth-dependent pressure head responding to a slug test in a highly permeable aquifer. The depth dependency is due to the fact that the pressure transducer is placed at depth relatively far from the initial water level. The Springer and Gelhar solution and a depth correction relation are used to generate theoretical curves of pressure head vs. time. A trial-and-error procedure is established to find the theoretical curve best fitting the field data by adjusting the two unknown parameters, the horizontal hydraulic conductivity, and the effective length of the water column. Analytic relations for some oscillation characteristics of the converted pressure head are derived. A field example indicates that the theoretical relations and the curve-matching method developed herein are suitable to deal with the oscillatory head data dependent on depth of measurement. Nevertheless, it is recognized that placing the pressure transducer close to the initial water level and using a small initial water displacement can effectively avoid complicating the data analysis, such that previous, simpler data analysis methods can be used.     

A closed form slug test theory for high permeability aquifers

We incorporate a linear estimate of casing friction into the analytical slug test theory of Springer and Gelhar (1991) for high permeability aquifers. The modified theory elucidates the influence of inertia and casing friction on consistent, closed form equations for the free surface, pressure, and velocity fluctuations for overdamped and underdamped conditions. A consistent, but small, correction for kinetic energy is included as well. A characteristic velocity linearizes the turbulent casing shear stress so that an analytical solution for attenuated, phase shifted pressure fluctuations fits a single parameter (damping frequency) to transducer data from any depth in the casing. Underdamped slug tests of 0.3, 0.6, and 1 m amplitudes at five transducer depths in a 5.1 cm diameter PVC well 21 m deep in the Plymouth-Carver Aquifer yield a consistent hydraulic conductivity of 1.5 x 10(-3) m/s. The Springer and Gelhar (1991) model underestimates the hydraulic conductivity for these tests by as much as 25% by improperly ascribing smooth turbulent casing friction to the aquifer. The match point normalization of Butler (1998) agrees with our fitted hydraulic conductivity, however, when friction is included in the damping frequency. Zurbuchen et al. (2002) use a numerical model to establish a similar sensitivity of hydraulic conductivity to nonlinear casing friction.     

Evaluation of Vertical Head Profiles in Water Production Wells during Pumping

In a recent field study, the performance of four production wells was evaluated. The intake of a vertical turbine test pump was set below the top of the screened interval of the wells due to anticipated drawdown. Water level sounding tubes were welded to the well casing at various depths in each well. Drawdown data collected at various depths were used to evaluate the vertical head distribution in the wells under various pumping stresses. A direct relationship was observed between the head loss and the location of the pump intake in the production wells. A vertical head profile developed, suggesting that the location of the pump intake controlled the location of water production from the aquifer. The head loss in the wells observed during pumping was directly proportional to well discharge and annulus size between the well casing and the vertical turbine pump shaft. The pressure differences that developed in the wells created increased drawdown in water level sounding tubes installed deep in the wells compared to the total drawdown observed in the production wells. Certain implications should be considered based on the evaluation of the data obtained from this study. Because water management decisions are made using well test data, the quality of the data is crucial. In instances where well performance is evaluated using water level data collected from water level sounding tubes that are located close to a pump intake (in this case deep in the well), it should be recognized that well performance could be underestimated.     

A Simple Pneumatic Device and Technique for Performing Rising Water Level Slug Tests

Transmissivity can be estimated by several well documented methods employing data from rising water level slug tests in wells. A very simple and relatively inexpensive system can be constructed to lower the water level in a well. Compressed air is injected through a sealed device called a well head manifold, which screws onto the casing top and contains an air pressure gauge, an air entry valve, a quick release valve and a multi-channel water level indicator or a pressure transducer. Either of the latter is lowered into the well prior to pressurization.
Compressed air is injected into the casing at a low rate through the manifold, depressing the water level a desired amount. After stabilization, the quick release valve is opened and the air pressure inside the casing is reduced to atmospheric pressure instantaneously; the water level then starts to rise. Successive elevations of the rising water level are determined with the indicator or transducer and their elapsed times from valve opening are recorded. Plots of water level recovery vs. time can then be used to estimate transmissivity by the published methods of Cooper, Bredehoeft and Papadopulos (1967), Ferris and Knowles (1954) and Hvorslev(1951).
All of the items used for construction, with the exception of the quick release valve, can be bought off the shelf. The valve can be easily constructed in a machine shop. The total cost of the device, exclusive of the transducer, should be less than $500.     

Investigation of Possible Contamination of Shallow Ground Water by Deeply Injected Liquid Industrial Wastes

The objective of this study was to assess the possible impact of deep well disposal operations, conducted between 1958 and 1974, on the ground water quality in a shallow fresh water aquifer beneath Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. Because of the breakout of formation fluids in Sarnia and Port Huron, Michigan, in the early 1970s, it had been hypothesized that liquid waste from the disposal zone in bedrock had leaked through numerous abandoned oil, gas, and salt wells in the area up to the shallow fresh water aquifer and from there to the surface.
A monitoring well network of 29 5cm (2 inch) diameter piezometers was established in the thin sand and shale aquifer system, which exists between 30 and 70m (100 and 230 feet) below ground surface. In addition, a 300m (1000 foot) deep borehole was drilled and instrumented with a Westbay multilevel casing, which permitted sampling of the disposal zone.
Ground water samples from the shallow monitoring wells and the Westbay multilevel casing were analyzed for volatiles by GC/MS. Those volatile aromatics that were conspicuously present in the deep disposal zone, e.g., ethyl toluenes and trimethyl benzene, were not detected in the shallow monitoring wells. Thus, if contaminants from the disposal zone did indeed migrate to the shallow aquifer, contamination was not widespread and probably consisted mostly of displaced chloride-rich formation waters.     

Analytical and Semi‐Analytical Tools for the Design of Oscillatory Pumping Tests

Oscillatory pumping tests—in which flow is varied in a periodic fashion—provide a method for understanding aquifer heterogeneity that is complementary to strategies such as slug testing and constant‐rate pumping tests. During oscillatory testing, pressure data collected at non‐pumping wells can be processed to extract metrics, such as signal amplitude and phase lag, from a time series. These metrics are robust against common sensor problems (including drift and noise) and have been shown to provide information about aquifer heterogeneity. Field implementations of oscillatory pumping tests for characterization, however, are not common and thus there are few guidelines for their design and implementation. Here, we use available analytical solutions from the literature to develop design guidelines for oscillatory pumping tests, while considering practical field constraints. We present two key analytical results for design and analysis of oscillatory pumping tests. First, we provide methods for choosing testing frequencies and flow rates which maximize the signal amplitude that can be expected at a distance from an oscillating pumping well, given design constraints such as maximum/minimum oscillator frequency and maximum volume cycled. Preliminary data from field testing helps to validate the methodology. Second, we develop a semi‐analytical method for computing the sensitivity of oscillatory signals to spatially distributed aquifer flow parameters. This method can be quickly applied to understand the “sensed” extent of an aquifer at a given testing frequency. Both results can be applied given only bulk aquifer parameter estimates, and can help to optimize design of oscillatory pumping test campaigns.     

Reverse Water‐Level Fluctuations Associated with Fracture Connectivity

Reverse water‐level fluctuations (RWFs), a phenomenon in which water levels rise briefly in response to pumping, were detected in monitoring wells in a fractured siliciclastic aquifer system near a deep public supply well. The magnitude and timing of RWFs provide important information that can help interpret aquifer hydraulics near pumping wells. A RWF in a well is normally attributed to poroelastic coupling between the solid and fluid components in an aquifer system. In addition to revealing classical pumping‐induced poroelastic RWFs, data from pressure transducers located at varying depths and distances from the public supply well suggest that the RWFs propagate rapidly through fractures to influence wells hundreds of meters from the pumping well. The rate and cycling frequency of pumping is an important factor in the magnitude of RWFs. The pattern of RWF propagation can be used to better define fracture connectivity in an aquifer system. Rapid, cyclic head changes due to RWFs may also serve as a mechanism for contaminant transport.     

Vertical Contaminant Profiling of Volatile Organic* in a Deep Fractured Basalt Aquifer

Volatile organic compounds delected in ground water from wells at Test Area North (TAN) at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) prompted RCRA facility investigations in 1989 and 1990 and a CERCLA-driven RI/FS in 1992. In order to address ground water treatment feasibility, one of the main objectives, of the 1992 remedial investigation was to determine the vertical extent of ground water contamination, where the principle contaminant, of concern is trichloroethylene (TCE). It was hypothesized that a sedimentary interbed at depth in the fractured basalt aquifer could be inhibiting vertical migration of contaminants to lower aquifers. Due to the high cost of drilling and installation of ground water monitoring wells at this facility (greater than $100,000 per well), a real time method was proposed for obtaining and analyzing ground water samples during drilling to allow accurate placement of well screens in zones of predicted VOC contamination. This method utilized an inflatable pump packer pressure transducer system interfaced with a datalogger and PC at land surface. This arrangement allowed for real lime monitoring of hydraulic head above and below the packer to detect leakage around the packer during pumping and enabled collection of head data during pumping for estimating hydrologic properties. Analytical results were obtained in about an hour from an on-site mobile laboratory equipped with a gas chromalograplvmass spectrometer (GC/MS). With the hydrologic and analytical results in hand, a decision was made to either complete the well or continue drilling to the next test zone. In almost every case, analytical results of ground water samples taken from the newly installed wells closely replicated the water quality of ground water samples obtained through the pump packer system.     

赵各庄井水位水温演化特征及其成因分析

平谷赵各庄井深200 m, 观测含水层为182 m以下的全井段, 是浅层冷水和深层热水的混合水。 受开采及降雨影响, 水位、 水温长趋势及年动态具有同步协调性变化, 地下水开采使井筒内冷水比例变小, 水位下降, 水温上升; 降雨渗入补给使流入观测井筒内冷水占比例变大, 水位上升, 水温下降, 但雨季结束, 井筒内冷水流入量变少, 井水温逐渐回升。 气压和固体潮使井筒与含水层间有水流运动, 水位出现周期性波动, 从而改变井筒内冷热水比例, 引起水温周期性变化的次生效应, 两者有短期同步协调变化。 不同种干扰因素造成了不同周期的变化影响, 在排除干扰, 提取地震异常信息时, 应选用不同方法及取样周期进行分析。     

深井水位的固体潮效应

本文从体应变固体潮对深井水位影响的偏微分方程出发,考虑到含水层和井孔之间相互渗流的边界条件,用叠加原理、冲量定理和分离变量法等方法得出了方程的解.通过对这个解中水井含水层参数给予一些可能的值进行数值计算,讨论了水井固体潮系数和位相滞后与水井含水层参数间的关系,较好地解释了井水位对固体潮响应的位相滞后现象.计算表明,井孔的半径、含水层的孔隙度及固体骨架的体压缩系数愈大,含水的导水系数愈小,则水井水位的固体潮系数愈小,而水位对固体潮响应的位相滞后愈大.井水对长周期的潮汐响应比对短周期的更好.      

含水层渗透性能变化对水位影响的数值模拟研究

应用有限差分法,对弹性孔隙介质在无水平应力作用情况下的充水过程和充水稳定后部分区域阻塞情况下水头调整过程进行了分析。研究结果显示:就含水层内某一点而言,其水头除与位置和含水层的边界条件有关外,还与它本身及其周围区域的压力传导系数有关;含水层不同程度的阻塞会引起给定点的水位变化,而且不同的阻塞范围对含水层的水头分布和给定点的水头变化有很大的影响。     

深井水位对固体潮和气压的响应

本文以体应变固体潮对深井水位影响的偏微分方程为基础，考虑到含水层与井孔之间相互渗流的边界条件，用叠加原理、冲量定理的分离变量等方法得出了方程的解。把水井含水层的参量给予一些可能的值，通过数值计算讨论了水井固体潮系数、位相滞后和含水层参数之间的关系，解释了井水位对固体潮响应的位相滞后现象。结果表明，井孔的半径、含水层的孔隙度及固体骨架的体压缩系数愈大，含水层的导水系数愈小，则水井水位的固体潮系数愈小     

A new theoretical solution of the effect of atmospheric pressure on water level

Based on the partial differential equation governing the effect of atmospheric pressure on water level of confined well, deriving the boundary condition and considering the seepage water between well and aquifer, the author obtained the analytical solution of water level change in time domain under the action of an atmospheric pressure history with the Laplace transform method. This solution is composed of two terms:stable and retarded terms. The stable term is the multiplication of barometric efficiency and simultaneous atmospheric pressure, and it implies the value of water level after infinite time when the atmospheric pressure is a constant from the time in question. The retarded term is the transient process due to the time lag of water exchange between well and aquifer. From the solution, it is obtained that the interference of atmospheric pressure on water level is the integral superimposition of the contribution of all atmospheric pressure changes before the time in question. So that, we further found out the response function of pulsive atmospheric pressure history. Calculation shows: (1) The pulsive response function starts from zero and tends to a steady value, which is proportional to the barometric efficiency, when the time tends to infinity; (2) The retarded time depends on the mechanical property of aquifer and the radius of well. The larger the seepage coefficient, the smaller the radius of well and the thicker the aquifer, then the shorter the retarded time gets. This solution can be used as the theoretical basis for further analysis of the atmospheric effect and practical correcting method in the future.     

Effect of earth tide on deep well water level

On the basis of the partial differential equations of the water level in a deep well that is affected by the bulk strain tide, the boundary conditions of permeating each other between aquifer and well are considered. The solutions of the equations have been obtained by the superposition principle, inpulse theorem and separation of the variations. Some suitable values are given to the parameters of well aquifer in the solutions. By means of the numerical calculation the relations among the well tide coefficients and phase lag phenomenon of response of the well level to earth tides is well interpreted. The parametric studies and the obtained graphs show that the more the radius of casing in a well, the porosity of an aquifer and the bulk compressibility for solid matrix of an aquifer, the less the transmissibility of an aquifer, then the less the tidal coefficient of well level, while the more the phase lag for well level to respond to the tide is. The response of the well level to the tide of longer period is better than the shorter period events. The Chinese version of this paper appeared in the Chinese edition ofActa Seismologica Sinica,13, 66–75, 1991.     

Distinguishing Mountain Front and Mountain Block Recharge in an Intermontane Basin of the Himalayan Region

Intermontane basin aquifers worldwide, particularly in the Himalayan region, are recharged largely by the adjoining mountains. Recharge in these basins can occur either by water infiltrating from streams near mountain fronts (MFs) as mountain front recharge (MFR) or by sub-surface mountain block infiltration as mountain block recharge (MBR). MFR and MBR recharge are challenging to distinguish and are least quantified, considering the lack of extensive understanding of the hydrological processes in the mountains. This study used oxygen and hydrogen isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δ²H), electrical conductivity (EC) data, hydraulic head, and groundwater level data to differentiate MFR and MBR. Groundwater level data provide information about the groundwater-surface water interactions and groundwater flow directions, whereas isotopes and EC data are used to distinguish and quantify different recharge sources. The present methodology is tested in an intermontane basin of the Himalayan region. The results suggest that karst springs (KS) and deep groundwater (DGW) recharge are dominated by snowmelt (47% ± 10% and 46% ± 9%) as MBR from adjacent mountains, insignificantly affected by evaporation. The hydraulic head data and isotopes indicate Quaternary shallow groundwater (SGW) aquifer system recharge as MFR of local meteoric water with significant evaporation. The results indicate several flow paths in the aquifer system, a local flow for KS, intermediate flow for SGW, and regional flow for DGW. The findings will significantly impact water resource management in the area and provide vital baseline knowledge for sustainable groundwater management in other Himalayan intermontane basins.     

Hydrochemistry of groundwaters in a spa area of Korea: an implication for water quality degradation by intensive pumping

A geochemical study was carried out in a small spa area (Onyang Spa, Korea) where intensive pumping of deep thermal groundwater (1 300 000 m³ year⁻¹) is taking place. This has caused the deep fractures to lose their artesian pressure and the upper shallow fractures have been encroached by shallow, cold waters. To quantify the influence of long‐term heavy pumping on the quality of the geothermal water, groundwater sampling and chemical analysis, water‐level measurement, and well loggings were performed for the selected deep thermal wells and shallow cold wells. Chemical analysis results indicate a big contrast in water chemistry and origins between the two water types. Shallow groundwater shows a wider concentration ranges in solutes that are closely related to human activity, illustrating the water's vulnerability to contamination near the land surface. Plots of water chemistry as a function of fluoride reveal that the quality of the thermal water was greatly influenced by the shallow, cold groundwater and that intensive pumping of the deep thermal groundwater has caused the introduction of shallow groundwater into the deeper fractures. Although the deep and the shallow fractures were piezometrically separated to some extent, a mixing model based on fluoride and nitrate indicated that the cold‐water fractions in the thermal wells are up to 50%. This suggests that the thermal water is faced with water quality degradation by the downward flow of the shallow, cold water. Restriction on the total of all the pumpage permits per unit area is suggested to restore the artesian pressure of the deep thermal aquifer and to prevent cold‐water intrusion in the study area. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

华蓥山地区4口井水位潮汐动态特征研究

本文选择沿华蓥山断裂带分布的荣昌等4口观测井,利用Baytap-G潮汐分析方法,计算各井水位和气压及理论固体潮的潮汐振幅谱,比较其潮汐频谱差异,通过对主要潮汐分波振幅的回归计算定量分析各井水位受气压潮和固体潮影响的大小。基于对井水位正常动态的认识,选择各井水位潮汐的主要分波,对井水位长时序数据进行分析计算,提取水位潮汐响应特征参数(振幅比和相位差),进而探讨特征参数动态变化特征。最后对井水位受气压潮和固体潮影响的差异原因进行了初步探讨。结果表明,荣昌井水位主要受气压作用的影响,北碚、大足、南溪三口井水位受固体潮-气压潮综合作用的影响,而荣昌井水位只受气压潮影响可能与该井所处含水层裂隙发育且该井未下设止水套管有关;荣昌井P_1S_1K_1波和南溪井M_2波振幅比和相位差在几次大震后没有明显变化,说明地震波没有使井孔与含水层之间的水流交换发生显著变化,而北碚井和大足井M_2波振幅比和相位差分别在汶川和芦山地震时发生变化,反映了地震波的疏通影响。     

Effect of overpumping and irrigation stress on hydrochemistry and hydrodynamics of a Saharan oasis groundwater system

Stepwise hydrochemical and isotope-based methodology was adopted to identify mineralization processes, assess the impact of resources overexploitation and flood irrigation, and conceptualize groundwater hydrodynamics in the Djérid aquifer system, Tunisia. The study demonstrates that the main processes controlling groundwater geochemistry are dissolution of evaporates and phosphate-bearing rocks, cation exchange, mixing between high and low TDS end-members, and irrigation return flow. Interpretation of isotope data demonstrates that the deep aquifer was mostly recharged by late Pleistocene palaeowater, while the shallow aquifer is entirely recharged by return flow. The intermediate aquifer groundwater is actually a mixing of early to middle Holocene palaeowater, late Pleistocene deep aquifer palaeowater and return flow waters. The established conceptual model shows that deep and shallow groundwater leakages into the intermediate aquifer are enhanced by the presence of deep faults, the high hydraulic head of the deep aquifer, the overexploitation of the intermediate aquifer, and the long-term flood irrigation.     

地下水位前兆敏感水力学条件的数值模拟研究

根据弹性孔隙理论,利用数值分析的方法,研究了承压含水层对井水位的映震效果的影响,模拟结果显示：含水层系统的封闭状态对水位的映震效果有很大的影响,侧漏的大小和水头的高低会直接影响水位的观测效果,在系统封闭很好的情况下,观测水位的变化基本与水头的变化呈线性关系,此外,含水层系统的渗透性也是影响水位变化的重要条件之一,渗透性好则水位的映震效果明显。     

深井水位对地震波、固体潮和气压的水力响应—以范县井为例

以河南范县井为例,利用不同的水力响应模型分析了井水位对地震波、固体潮和气压的响应特征,并基于相关水力响应模型反演估算了含水层的水力参数。结果显示:在高频加载作用过程中,井-含水层系统中的水流模式以水平向为主,而在低频加载作用过程中,则为水平向和垂直向共存的混合模式;利用周期为10—102 s的高频段的地震波响应模型估算的含水层导水系数值较大,为7.20×10?3 m2/s,利用周期为3.75×104 s的低频段的固体潮响应模型估算的含水层导水系数值较小,为2.02×10?6 m2/s,而利用周期为102—104 s的中等频率段的气压响应模型得到的估算值介于二者之间,为3.44×10?5 m2/s。由此分析认为,在周期性加载作用过程中,井-含水层系统内的水流模式与加载频率有关,基于不同水力响应模型反演估算的含水层水力参数存在尺度效应。本研究取得的认识,既可为井水位动态响应的机理解释提供理论基础,也可为目标含水层水力参数的原位测量提供技术支撑。