New Semi-Analytical Model for an Exponentially Decaying Pumping Rate with a Finite-Thickness Skin in a Leaky Aquifer
Publication: Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 25, Issue 8
Abstract
Pumping tests are commonly used to estimate aquifer parameters during field work. Classical pumping tests are mainly classified into two general types: constant-rate pumping tests and constant-head pumping tests. However, pumping rates can vary under different circumstances. In this paper, a semi-analytical solution is developed for an exponentially decaying-rate pumping test in an aquitard-aquifer system considering the effects of a finite-thickness skin. The solution was obtained in the Laplace domain and inverted numerically using the Stehfest method. The solution could be simplified to some special cases and was also compared to several previous work. The results show that drawdowns have asymptotic values similar to those of constant-rate pumping tests at early and late times but decrease for a short period at intermediate times. The presence of aquitards makes the drawdowns stable initially because larger transmissivity in aquitards generally leads to smaller drawdowns. It was also observed that the well skin had a significant impact on drawdown values within the skin zone but no impact in the formation zone. The new solution was validated by fitting it with aquifer parameters obtained from a field pumping test in in Jianghan Plain using a particle swarm optimization algorithm. This study provides new insights into aquifer parameter estimation and the impact of variable-rate pumping tests on drawdown phenomena, particularly in aquitard-aquifer systems.
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Acknowledgments
This research was partially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41772259, 41830862, 41521001, and 41372253), the Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province, China (2018CFA085, 2018CFA028), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan) (CUGCJ1701, CUGGC06). The authors would like to express their immense gratitude to the editor for offering us valuable suggestions, which significantly helped to improve the quality of the paper. Sincere thanks also go to the two anonymous reviewers for their detailed comments and crucial observations.
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Journal of Hydrologic Engineering
Volume 25 • Issue 8 • August 2020
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©2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 1, 2019
Accepted: Mar 2, 2020
Published online: Jun 10, 2020
Published in print: Aug 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Nov 10, 2020
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