TECHNICAL PAPERS
May 11, 2010

Three-Dimensional Semianalytical Solutions of Groundwater Flow to a Well in Fractured Wedge-Shaped Aquifers

Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 15, Issue 12

Abstract

The three-dimensional Laplace domain solutions of groundwater flow to a well in fractured double porosity confined, unconfined, and leaky wedge-shaped aquifers are developed. Three wedge boundary configurations: (1) two constant head zero drawdown; (2) two impermeable; and (3) one constant head zero drawdown and one impermeable wedge boundary are considered. Dimensionless drawdowns are obtained for different wedge boundary configurations to investigate flow system behavior. Lateral boundary dimensionless flux at a representative line is also calculated for two constant head zero drawdown configuration and its sensitivity to the matrix hydraulic parameters are investigated. Results of our study are presented in the form of dimensionless flux-dimensionless time and dimensionless drawdown-dimensionless time, type curves. The results are useful for evaluating the role of matrix hydraulic parameters on lateral boundary depletion rate and investigation of flow system behavior in double porosity wedge-shaped aquifers with different lateral boundary configurations. The presented analytical solutions can also be used in parameter identification, stream depletion rate estimation and numerical models verification.

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Acknowledgments

This paper was prepared while the second writer was on a sabbatical leave in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada. Constructive comments and suggestions provided by editor, subeditor, and two anonymous reviewers are acknowledged.

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Published In

Go to Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 15Issue 12December 2010
Pages: 974 - 984

History

Received: Jan 6, 2010
Accepted: Apr 28, 2010
Published online: May 11, 2010
Published in print: Dec 2010

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Authors

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Mohammad Mahdi Sedghi
Ph.D. Candidate, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Shiraz Univ., Shiraz 71454, Iran.
Nozar Samani [email protected]
Professor, Dept. of Earth Sciences, Shiraz Univ., Shiraz 71454, Iran; and, Dept. of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Waterloo Univ., Waterloo, ON, Canada (corresponding author). E-mail: [email protected]

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