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Hydraulic Conductivity
By
Josh Linard
Background
Hydraulic Conductivity, K, is essential to
understanding flow through soils.
Darcys Law
Richards Equation
Advection-Dispersion-Equation
More about K
K is a function of pressure or moisture
content
low matric potential = high moisture
content = high K
Other considerations
What should the sample size be?
Where to conduct experiment?
How is the water applied?
Sample size
Contemporary soil core devices.
Representative Elementary Volume (REV).
Experiment location
Field
Advantages
Soil is undisturbed.
Disadvantages
Cant control the environment.
Logistics.
Laboratory
Advantages
Highly controlled environment.
Disadvantages
Sample can be aggravated during transport.
Facilities
Water Application
Ideally, the soil should be wetted from
the bottom up.
Should use a deaerated 0.005 M
CaSO4 solution to limit air retention.
What volume of water is required and
what volume is available.
Determining Ks
Laboratory Methods
Constant head
Falling head
Field Methods
Test basins
L y x
H
L
L
L is length through the soil
y is the height of ponded water
x is the height of water required to lower
the gradient so that y can be maintained.
Note: if the gradient is 1 then Ks = q as
per Darcys Law.
(Figure
11.1)
H2
aL
Ks
log
A(t 2 t 1) H1
aL H 2
Ks
log
A(t 2 t 1) H1
Ks Method Summary
The constant head method is used for
soil with a high Ks (> 0.001 cm/s).
The falling head method is used for
soils with lower Ks (10-3 - 10-6 cm/s).
Laboratory experiments can obtain Ks in
each dimension.
Determining Unsaturated K
Field methods
Ring infiltrometer.
Laboratory methods
Instantaneous profile method.
Ring Infiltrometer
Used either in the field or laboratory.
Can use either one or two rings.
Scale dependent on ring size.
2 rings allows vertical K to be isolated.
Ring Infiltrometer
Water Supply
Double Ring
TDRs
Gamma Ray
Emitter
Unsaturated K Method
Summary
Ring infiltrometer
Different sample sizes require different
rings and sometimes infiltrometers.
Water can be hard to provide depending on
the sample size.
Have to ensure good contact with soil.
Conclusion/Recommendations
Methods described allow for determining
K in most settings.
Its hard to account for macropore flow.
There is no method for determining
horizontal K in situ.
Scales of measure are subject to criticism.