Hydrology - Groundwater Net Flow Rate
Hydrology - Groundwater Net Flow Rate
Hydrology - Groundwater Net Flow Rate
Removal of groundwater faster than it can flow back lowers the water table
near the well. The GWT becomes a radially symmetrical funnel shape
called the cone of depression. Everything depends on the ability of the aquifer to
transmit water between pore spaces
Casing, screen,
centrifugal pump
Outer casing >12”
above grade with
cement grout, lower
casing with grout
seal, pump in
screen, sand gravel
pack, developed
Radial Flow
• The drawdown of the GWT during flow from a well varies
with distance, the cone of depression. If we want to know
the difference in height h of the GWT at different distances
r away from the well, we can sum thin cylinders of water
around the well. Cylinders have lateral area 2pr . height.
d ln r = 1/r dr d h = dh
so:
for K we get:
rc = radius of casing
y0 = vertical difference between rw = radial distance to
water level inside well and water undisturbed portion of aquifer
level outside at t = 0 from centerline (includes
yt = vertical difference between thickness of gravel pack)
water level inside well and water Le = length of screened,
table outside (drawdown) at time t perforated, or otherwise open
Re = effective radial distance over section of well, and
which y is dissipated; varies with t = time
well geometry
t (sec) yt(m)
Example from Figure 8-23b 1 0.24
2 0.19
3 0.16
4 0.13
6 0.07
9 0.03
13 0.013
19 0.005
20 0.002
40 0.001
A screened, cased well penetrates a confined aquifer. The casing
radius is rc = 5 cm and the screen is Le = 1 m long. A gravel pack
2.5 cm thick surrounds the well so rw = 7.5 cm. A slug of water is
injected that raises the water level by y0 = 0.28 m.
The change in water level yt with time is as listed in the above table.
TODO: Given that Re is 10 cm, calculate K for the aquifer.
First we estimate the 1/t ln(y0/yt)
Data for y vs. t are
0.3 plotted on semi-log paper
0.2 4/10ths of a log cycle, read as a as shown. The straight
proportion of the length of one log
cycle, NOT on the log scale
line from y0 = 0.28 m to
yt = 0.001 m covers 2.4
log cycles. The time
second log cycle increment between the
two points is 24 seconds.
To convert the log cycles
10
One cycle
Half a
cycle
The Solution
Using this value (0.23) for 1/t ln(y0/yt) in the Bouwer and
Rice equation gives: