Experimental Design of Physical Unconfined Aquifer for Evaluation of Well Abstraction Effects: Laboratory Approach

Abstract

In unconfined aquifer water flows in both horizontal and vertical direction when pumping. So its study during pumping action is more complex. Soil type, porosity, hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity are important parameters that control the specific yield, drawdown and radius of influence on aquifer while abstraction. Due to large extraction of water from the aquifer, the water table drops down and may lead to permanent depletion of yield capacity of aquifer. For practical understanding of water being pumped from aquifer and its impacts on water storage the easiest method is experimental approach .So therefore, this study was planned to carry out the well abstraction from unconfined aquifer of homogeneous sandy soil designed as physical model on rainfall simulator at hydraulic laboratory hall of Campus itself. The catchment dimension is 2.2 meter length, 1 meter width and 0.15 meter depth with impermeable base filled with fine sand as per specification. The simulator was adjusted to make horizontal aquifer. The experimental observations were carried out in two conditions, first was well abstraction with no rainfall after saturation and the second is with rainfall even after saturation condition obtained. The two wells were operated for the abstraction of water simultaneously so that the effect of one well to another could be studied. After observation and data collection, for the analysis of hydraulic conductivity Dupit model. Empirical model and relative effective porosity model (REPM) were used for the comparative study. Similarly the radius of influence was estimated by three models (weber,Kusakin and Sichardt).  For the estimation of transmissivity of the aquifer Thien model was used. Also the general equation (product of hydraulic conductivity and depth of aquifer) was used. Study showed the suitability of the available theories and governing equations for unconfined aquifer. The most important part of the study was to establish the correlation of drawdown and radius of influence with the time period of well abstraction. From the results the correlation coefficient for time and drawdown was of 90% and for time and radius of influence was 97%.