Single Well Tracer Tests in Aquifer Characterization |
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| Authors: | Stephen H. Hall |
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| Affiliation: | Stephen H. Hall is a senior research scientist in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Center of Pacific Northwest Laboratory (Box 999, MSIN K6–96, Richland, WA 99352) where he is currently engaged in RCRA project management for the Hanford site, and in the study of tracer methods applied to well development and to mass transport in aquifers. He holds a B.S. degree in chemistry and an M.S. degree in geology, both from the University of Wisconsin. |
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| Abstract: | When the purpose of aquifer testing is to yield data for modeling aqueous mass transport, pumping tests and gradient measurement can only partially satisfy characterization requirements. Effective porosity, ground water flow velocity, and the vertical distribution of hydraulic conductivity within the aquifer are left as unknowns. Single well tracer methods, when added to the testing program, can be used to estimate these parameters. A drift, and pumpback test yields porosity and velocity, and point-dilution testing yields depth-discrete hydraulic information, A single emplacement of tracer into a test well is sufficient to conduct both tests. The tracer tests are facilitated by a simple method for injecting and evenly distributing the tracer solution into a wellbore, and by new ion-selective electrode instrumentation, specifically designed for submersible service, for monitoring the concentration of tracers such as bromide. |
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