Exact Free Surface of Gravity Wells

A new approach of applying the concept of Rysenkampf’s triangle of filtration is introduced to solve gravity well problems under steady or transient conditions. The method entails the subdivision of the flow domain into successive prisms and solving one equation to determine the exact free surface. The method is not one of the iterative solutions; only one cycle is calculated. The existence of the discharge face is recognized as a result of the elimination of Dupuit-Forchheimer assumptions. Two main assumptions are introduced and verified to be more or less realistic. The potential distribution within the zone of flow can also be plotted. The study of the variation of the coefficients of transmissivity and permeability, and the specific yield with the variation of time and location is outside the scope of the present paper. The method can be extended to the study of the flow in a field of a group of gravity wells.