气压式振荡试验确定地层渗透系数适宜性

为评价滨海地区海（咸）水入侵区不同类型地层渗透性,提出振荡试验适宜模型选择方法。利用Geoprobe系统对不同平面位置地层实施了气压式振荡试验,部分点位进行了分层测试;利用配线法计算地层渗透系数。结果表明:当试验目标层为承压含水层时,利用Butler模型分析欠阻尼振荡试验,KGS模型分析过阻尼振荡试验,均可获得良好的计算结果;当试验目标层为弱透水层时,KGS模型可用于过阻尼振荡试验的数据分析,但计算结果会受到相邻高渗透性含水层以及钻孔编录不准确的影响。地层渗透性等级未知条件下,需根据地层类型、介质岩性、测试井结构和水位恢复过程曲线特征选择适宜的振荡试验分析模型,以准确获取地层渗透系数值。     

Directional effects on convergent flow tracer tests

Convergent flow tracer tests constitute a convenient way of characterizing hydraulic parameters in an aquifer. Interpretation of tracer breakthrough curves from convergent flow tests normally is made under the assumption of radial symmetry. Nevertheless, these curves may display directional dependence; that is when tracers are injected at several points located at the same distance, both arrival times and estimated dispersivities may be significantly different. This result is why some authors attribute a tensorial nature to porosity or, equivalently, talk about directional porosity when trying to explain the variations in computed porosity depending on the relative orientation of pumping and injection wells. Our main ponit is that this directional effect is nothing but an artifact of an inappropriate selection of a conceptual model, where anisotropy (local of statistical) in hydraulic conductivity is not properly characterized. To illustrate this point, we first consider the situation of a simple homogeneous and anisotropic model of the medium. We prove analytically that this model leads to arrival time being proportional to the square root of directional hydraulic conductivity. Using a stochastic approach, we determine the same directional behavior of arrival time for a locally isotropic hydraulic conductivity field with statistical anisotropy caused by an anisotropic correlation structure. A statistical anisotropic covariance model for hydraulic conductivity is consistent with field evidence.     

含水介质各向异性对渗透系数空间变异性统计的影响

针对目前渗透系数实测样本假定满足各向同性的局限,以Borden含水层试验场实测数据为例,通过反证法进行相关数据分析,总结了含水介质各向异性对渗透系数空间变异性统计的影响,并指明渗透系数各向同性假设的适用条件以及不合理之处。同时相应地给出了研究尺度下渗透系数场能否采用平稳随机场描述的判定依据。最后为今后进一步开展渗透系数空间变异性研究提出几点建议。     

Analytical solution for transient groundwater flow during slug test in vertical cutoff walls

An analysis method for transient groundwater flow during slug tests performed in vertical cutoff walls is presented. The analytical solution for evaluating hydraulic conductivity of vertical cutoff walls is derived by applying the method of images to the previously developed analytical solution that is exclusively applicable to an infinite aquifer. Two distinct boundary conditions are considered to account for the configuration of the vertical cutoff wall: the wall‐soil formation interfaces with or without the existence of filter cakes, that is, constant‐head boundary and no‐flux boundary conditions. A series of type curves is constructed from the analytical solution and compared with those of a partially penetrated well within an aquifer. The constant‐head boundary condition provides faster hydraulic head recovery than the aquifer case. On the other hand, the no‐flux boundary condition leads to a delayed hydraulic head recovery. The greater the shape factor and well offset from the center of the cutoff wall, and the smaller the width of the cutoff wall, the greater the effect of the boundary condition observed in the type curves. This result shows the significance of considering proper boundary conditions at the vertical cutoff wall in analyzing slug tests. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of anisotropic permeability on stabilization and pore water pressure distribution of poorly cemented stratified rock slopes

Slopes composed of stratified and poorly cemented rocks that fail during heavy rainfalls are typical in the outer zone of Taiwan's Western Foothills. This study investigates how hydraulic conductivity anisotropy influences pore water pressure (PWP) distributed in stratified, poorly cemented rock slopes and related slope stability through numerical simulation. The notion of representing thin alternating beds of stratified, poorly cemented rocks as an equivalent anisotropic medium for ground‐water flow analysis in finite slopes was validated. PWP was then derived in a modelled slope comprising an anisotropic medium with suitable boundary conditions. Simulation results indicate the significance of the principal directions of hydraulic conductivity tensor and the anisotropic ratio on PWP estimation for anisotropic finite slopes. For a stratified, poorly cemented rock slope, estimating PWP utilizing a phreatic surface with isotropic and hydrostatic assumptions will yield incorrect results. Stability analysis results demonstrate that hydraulic conductivity anisotropy affects the slope safety factor and slip surface pattern. Consequently, steady‐state groundwater flow analysis is essential for stratified, poorly cemented rock slopes when evaluating PWP distribution and slope stability. This study highlights the importance of hydraulic conductivity anisotropy on the stability of a stratified, poorly cemented rock slope. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Methods for determining the in situ hydraulic conductivity of shallow aquitards – an overview

Shallow clay-rich aquitards limit groundwater recharge to underlying aquifers, but they also protect the aquifers from contamination. The bulk hydraulic conductivity of such shallow aquitards can range from less than 1 mm/year to more than 100 m/year and may be much greater than the hydraulic conductivity of small intact samples of the aquitard material. This enhanced hydraulic conductivity diminishes the qualities of the aquitards for the protection of underlying aquifers but allows a higher rate of recharge. For aquifers that are overlain by aquitards, management and protection of groundwater resources may be critically dependent on reliable determinations of aquitard permeability. A variety of methods for determining bulk hydraulic conductivities of shallow clay aquitards is available; each has drawbacks and advantages, and each is based on simplifying assumptions. These methods include slug tests, pumping tests, response of the aquitard to mechanical loading, and analysis of natural pore-pressure fluctuations. Several of the commonly used methods require an independent measurement of specific storage. Laboratory methods for determining specific storage are probably not representative of in situ conditions and may lead to overestimation of aquitard permeability. Much of the theory developed to date depends on the assumption that horizontal displacement of the solid material is negligible, and this may not be a valid assumption for highly deformable media such as clay aquitards. However, with judicious selection of the most suitable methods for a particular site, good test design, careful instrumentation, and respect for the underlying assumptions, reliable determinations of aquitard permeability can be obtained. Electronic Publication     

Numerical modeling of contaminant transport in a stratified heterogeneous aquifer with dipping anisotropy

The combined influence of dip angle and adsorption heterogeneity on solute transport mechanisms in heterogeneous media can be understood by performing simulations of steady-state flow and transient transport in a heterogeneous aquifer with dipping anisotropy. Reactive and non-reactive contaminant transport in various types of heterogeneous aquifer is studied by simulations. The hydraulic conductivity (K) of the heterogeneous aquifer is generated by HYDRO_GEN with a Gaussian correlation spectrum. By considering the heterogeneity of the adsorption distribution coefficient (K _d), a perfect negative correlation between lnK and lnK _d is obtained by using the spherical grains model. The generated K and K _d are used as input to groundwater flow and transport models to investigate the effects of dipping sedimentary heterogeneity on contaminant plume evolution. Simulation results showed that the magnitude of the dip angle strongly controls the plume evolution in the studied anisotropic and heterogeneous aquifer. The retarded average pore-water velocity (v/R) of the adsorption model significantly controls the horizontal spreading of the plume. The bottom plume is intensively retarded in the zones between the dipping lenses of lower hydraulic conductivity and the no-flow bottom boundary. The implications of these findings are very important for the management of contaminated heterogeneous aquifers.     

Microgeometry II: Testing for homogeneity in Berea sandstone

Geological sample characterizations rely on statistical assumptions of homogeneity and isotropy. There is also a tacit assumption of homogeneity at some size scale in theoretical geophysics predicated on power spectra or ensemble averaging, for example, acoustics (Devaney and Levine, 1980)or electromagnetics (Lee, 1979).Discussion is presented of a homogeneity test performed on Berea sandstone to develop methods for assessing homogeneity and for delimiting the scale at which homogeneity can be assumed. The Wilcoxon sum-of-ranks and signed-ranks tests are applied to scanning electron microscope image data. Anisotropy is found at some scales, and not at other scales. The homogeneity assumption for Berea sandstone is supported by agreement between estimates which depend for accuracy on homogeneity and values obtained by other independent methods such as bulk measurements or calculations from run-lengths.     

Optimization of Well Pattern Parameters for Waterflooding in an Anisotropic Formation

A new and pragmatic technique has been developed to efficiently optimize well pattern parameters for improving waterflooding sweep efficiency in an anisotropic formation. Theoretically, the dependence of the optimal incline angle between a well array and the principal permeability direction on the anisotropy ratio and well pattern coefficient have been characterized for regular and irregular square inverted nine-spot (SINS) well patterns, respectively. It has also been proved that the potential for improving the performance of the rhombus inverted nine-spot well pattern by rotating the well pattern parameters is negligible. For the regular SINS well patterns, the optimal incline angle increases with increasing anisotropy ratio. Regarding the irregular SINS well pattern, the dominant factor affecting the waterflooding sweep efficiency shifts from the anisotropy ratio to the well pattern coefficient with a gradual decline of the latter factor. Subsequently, the newly proposed methodology has been validated using both synthetic homogeneous and heterogeneous models with various anisotropy ratios, then extended to a realistic oil reservoir. The model validation has demonstrated that the newly developed technique can be used to accurately optimize the optimal incline angle for both homogeneous and slightly heterogeneous formations, yet its potential is limited for strongly heterogeneous formations. In addition, field applications have indicated that an increment of 2.3 % in cumulative oil production can be achieved by rotating the targeted well pattern using the proposed technique.     

Effects of hydraulic conductivity/strength anisotropy on the stability of stratified,poorly cemented rock slopes

This paper presents a numerical procedure to explore how hydraulic conductivity anisotropy and strength anisotropy affect the stability of stratified, poorly cemented rock slopes. The results provide information about the anisotropic characteristics of the medium, including the orientation of bedding planes, the anisotropic ratios of the hydraulic conductivity and the geological significance of the hydraulic conductivity anisotropy on the pore water pressure (PWP) estimation of finite slopes. Neglecting the hydraulic conductivity anisotropy of a slope with horizontal layers leads to a 40% overestimation of the safety factor. For a dip slope with inclined layers with θ = 30°, including the strength anisotropy caused a 25% reduction of the safety factor compared to the cases which isotropic strength is assumed. This paper highlights the importance of the hydraulic-conductivity anisotropy and the strength anisotropy on the stability of stratified, poorly cemented rock slopes.     

Estimating hydraulic conductivity from specific capacity for Hawaii aquifers,USA

Site-specific relationships between specific capacity and hydraulic parameters (transmissivity and hydraulic conductivity) were investigated for volcanic rocks in Maui, Hawaii, USA. Details about well construction were commonly ignored in previous studies. To improve on such efforts, specific-capacity values were normalized by the open interval of the well. Correcting specific capacity for turbulent head losses using step-drawdown tests and including aquifer penetration length improved the correlation between specific capacity and hydraulic conductivity and reduced uncertainty in the prediction of hydraulic parameters. The relationships provide estimates of aquifer parameters with correlation coefficients between 0.81 and 0.99. The relationships for Maui can probably be extended to other Hawaii islands, given the similarity of aquifer formations and a reasonable fit to step-drawdown data from Oahu. Hydraulic conductivity was estimated from 1,257 specific-capacity values in the Hawaii’s well database. Hydraulic-conductivity estimates for dike-free volcanic rocks are consistent on different islands. For all islands, the estimates range from 3 to 8,200 m/d, with a geometric-mean and median value of 272 and 291 m/d, respectively. A geostatistical approach was applied to Maui and Oahu to generate island-wide hydraulic-conductivity maps to facilitate groundwater management efforts.     

Hydraulic testing using a versatile straddle packer system for improved transmissivity estimation in fractured-rock boreholes

Equipment has been developed for straddle packer testing in fractured-rock boreholes to conduct four types of tests (constant-head step tests, slug tests, constant-rate pumping tests, and recovery tests) without deflating the packers or adjusting equipment in the hole between tests. The goal is to achieve improved accuracy and precision in the determination of transmissivity (T). Water-pressure measurements are recorded using pressure transducers positioned above and below the test interval to identify connections from the test interval to the open borehole. Insights concerning the nature of test conditions are gathered with this equipment to assess errors related to deviations from assumptions inherent in the mathematical models used to determine T, including validation of the Darcian flow assumption, validation of slug test assumptions, cross-connection to the open borehole, inadequate borehole development, and dual permeability, thereby giving greater confidence in the calculated T values. When the errors indicated above are minimized, the constant-head step tests, slug tests and constant-rate pumping/recovery tests give nearly identical values. This multiple-test approach to fractured-rock studies increases confidence in test results, which is important when the goal is characterization of fracture networks for contaminant transport and fate assessment.     

Using Sequential Self-Calibration Method to Identify Conductivity Distribution: Conditioning on Tracer Test data

An iterative inverse method, the sequential self-calibration method, is developed for mapping spatial distribution of a hydraulic conductivity field by conditioning on nonreactive tracer breakthrough curves. A streamline-based, semi-analytical simulator is adopted to simulate solute transport in a heterogeneous aquifer. The simulation is used as the forward modeling step. In this study, the hydraulic conductivity is assumed to be a deterministic or random variable. Within the framework of the streamline-based simulator, the efficient semi-analytical method is used to calculate sensitivity coefficients of the solute concentration with respect to the hydraulic conductivity variation. The calculated sensitivities account for spatial correlations between the solute concentration and parameters. The performance of the inverse method is assessed by two synthetic tracer tests conducted in an aquifer with a distinct spatial pattern of heterogeneity. The study results indicate that the developed iterative inverse method is able to identify and reproduce the large-scale heterogeneity pattern of the aquifer given appropriate observation wells in these synthetic cases.     

Steady infiltration from buried point source into heterogeneous cross‐anisotropic unsaturated soil

The paper presents the analytical solution for the steady‐state infiltration from a buried point source into two types of heterogeneous cross‐anisotropic unsaturated half‐spaces. In the first case, the heterogeneity of the soil is modelled by an exponential relationship between the hydraulic conductivity and the soil depth. In the second case, the heterogeneous soil is represented by a multilayered half‐space where each layer is homogeneous. The hydraulic conductivity varies exponentially with moisture potential and this leads to the linearization of the Richards equation governing unsaturated flow. The analytical solution is obtained by using the Hankel integral transform. For the multilayered case, the combination of a special forward and backward transfer matrix techniques makes the numerical evaluation of the solution very accurate and efficient. The correctness of both formulations is validated by comparison with alternative solutions for two different cases. The results from typical cases are presented to illustrate the influence on the flow field of the cross‐anisotropic hydraulic conductivity, the soil heterogeneity and the depth of the source. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimation of effective aquifer hydraulic properties from an aquifer test with multi-well observations (Taiwan)

The representative anisotropic parameters for an aquifer located at the campus of the National Yunlin University of Science and Technology in Taiwan have been acquired. A constant-rate pumping test was carried out, and drawdown-time data were collected from ten observation wells. Applications of the conventional aquifer test analysis, which assumes aquifer homogeneity for each observed well hydrograph, yielded spatially varying transmissivity and storage coefficient estimates, contradicting the homogeneous assumption. A direct approach and a nonlinear-least squares minimization of distance-drawdown data were then employed to analyze anisotropy of the transmissivity of an equivalent homogeneous aquifer. Results show that the direction and values of anisotropic transmissivities vary with time and the estimates depend on the number of observation wells used. These field results are consistent with results from recent theoretical investigations which questioned the suitability of the conventional aquifer test analysis.     

Upscaling Hydraulic Conductivities in Cross-Bedded Formations

Modern geostatistical techniques allow the generation of high-resolution heterogeneous models of hydraulic conductivity containing millions to billions of cells. Selective upscaling is a numerical approach for the change of scale of fine-scale hydraulic conductivity models into coarser scale models that are suitable for numerical simulations of groundwater flow and mass transport. Selective upscaling uses an elastic gridding technique to selectively determine the geometry of the coarse grid by an iterative procedure. The geometry of the coarse grid is built so that the variances of flow velocities within the coarse blocks are minimum. Selective upscaling is able to handle complex geological formations and flow patterns, and provides full hydraulic conductivity tensor for each block. Selective upscaling is applied to a cross-bedded formation in which the fine-scale hydraulic conductivities are full tensors with principal directions not parallel to the statistical anisotropy of their spatial distribution. Mass transport results from three coarse-scale models constructed by different upscaling techniques are compared to the fine-scale results for different flow conditions. Selective upscaling provides coarse grids in which mass transport simulation is in good agreement with the fine-scale simulations, and consistently superior to simulations on traditional regular (equal-sized) grids or elastic grids built without accounting for flow velocities.     

水力层析法与克立金法估算非均质含水层渗透系数场比较

含水层非均质性空间分布特征的识别,是准确模拟地下水流和污染物运移的前提.基于室内非均质含水层砂箱实验,分别利用水力层析法和克立金插值法刻画了非均质含水层渗透系数场.研究结果表明:(1) 水力层析法与克立金法相比,不仅可以更好地刻画非均质含水层渗透系数场,还可以更高精度地预测地下水流过程;(2) 水力层析抽水实验中,通过增加抽水实验组数可以有效地提高水力层析参数反演的精度,但是抽水实验组数增加到一定程度以后,再增加抽水组数不会显著提升参数反演的效果.后续需要进一步研究水力层析抽水实验合适的组数,进一步对抽水井进行优化布设.      

含水层层状非均质对地下水流系统的影响

区域尺度上含水层非均质具有复杂的结构性和随机性,难以准确刻画,造成非均质对区域地下水流系统的影响机制研究不够深入。本文以鄂尔多斯盆地白垩系地下水流系统为研究实例,选择典型剖面,采用剖面二维随机数值模拟方法,通过对比不同非均质刻画方法下地下水流场的变化,探讨含水层层状非均质对地下水流系统的影响机制。结果显示,均质条件下模型各向异性（含水层水平和垂向渗透系数比值Kh/Kv）取值为1000时,地下水流场与实际条件较为接近;非均质条件下,渗透系数方差取值0.91,水平相关长度取值5000 m,Kh/Kv取值150时,接近实际条件。研究表明,在大尺度地下水流模拟研究中,采用水平相关长度、渗透系数方差和各向异性值三个变量生成的随机场能很好地刻画含水层的层状非均质特征及其对水流系统的影响控制作用。由于含水层不同尺度层状非均质的叠加效应,采用均质各向异性介质等效概化含水层层状非均质性会造成等效各向异性值偏大失真的效应。     

基于局域化EnKF同时同化地下水水流和溶质运移数据的渗透系数场识别研究

局域化改进集合卡尔曼滤波（EnKF）可以克服EnKF方法在使用小集合时,对参数识别精度较低的缺陷,其能同化 地下水位观测数据有效识别渗透系数场。实际工作中,溶质运移数据也较容易获得。崔凯鹏（2013）尝试增加溶质运移 数据以改进只同化水流数据对渗透系数的估计结果,但是精度提高有限。本文在其基础上修改模型,进一步增加溶质注 入井,探究同时同化水头和溶质运移数据,对渗透系数场识别效果,之后对比了局域化EnKF与非局域化EnKF参数识别结 果,并分析了溶质影响范围与参数识别的关系。结果表明：同时同化溶质运移和水头资料,比同化单一种类观测数据识别 的渗透系数精度更高;相同实现数目下,局域化EnKF比EnKF对渗透系数场的估计结果与真实场更为接近;仅考虑溶质影 响范围内的渗透系数,同化水头数据在最后时刻参数识别结果好于同化溶质运移数据参数识别结果,但差别不大。