A field assessment of the value of steady shape hydraulic tomography for characterization of aquifer heterogeneities

View/ Open
Issue Date
2007-05-22Author
Bohling, Geoffrey C.
Butler, James J., Jr.
Zhan, Xiaoyong
Knoll, Michael D.
Publisher
American Geophysical Union
Type
Article
Article Version
Scholarly/refereed, publisher version
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
[1] Hydraulic tomography is a promising approach for obtaining information on variations in hydraulic conductivity on the scale of relevance for contaminant transport investigations. This approach involves performing a series of pumping tests in a format similar to tomography. We present a field-scale assessment of hydraulic tomography in a porous aquifer, with an emphasis on the steady shape analysis methodology. The hydraulic conductivity (K) estimates from steady shape and transient analyses of the tomographic data compare well with those from a tracer test and direct-push permeameter tests, providing a field validation of the method. Zonations based on equal-thickness layers and cross-hole radar surveys are used to regularize the inverse problem. The results indicate that the radar surveys provide some useful information regarding the geometry of the K field. The steady shape analysis provides results similar to the transient analysis at a fraction of the computational burden. This study clearly demonstrates the advantages of hydraulic tomography over conventional pumping tests, which provide only large-scale averages, and small-scale hydraulic tests (e.g., slug tests), which cannot assess strata connectivity and may fail to sample the most important pathways or barriers to flow.
Description
This is the published version. Copyright American Geophysical Union
Collections
Citation
Bohling, Geoffrey C., James J. Butler, Xiaoyong Zhan, and Michael D. Knoll. "A Field Assessment of the Value of Steady Shape Hydraulic Tomography for Characterization of Aquifer Heterogeneities." Water Resources Research Water Resour. Res. 43.5 (2007): n. pag. DOI:10.1029/2006WR004932
Items in KU ScholarWorks are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
We want to hear from you! Please share your stories about how Open Access to this item benefits YOU.