Professional Documents
Culture Documents
PUMPING TESTS
Prof. A. Balasubramanian
Centre for Advanced Studies in Earth
Science,
University of Mysore, Mysore
1
Objective:
2
A pumping test is a practical, reliable method of
estimating well performance, well yield, the
zone of influence of the well and aquifer
characteristics. There is a procedure for
conducting pumping tests in wells. This lesson
highlights the prevailing methods adopted while
conducting pumping tests.
3
Introduction:
4
The basic principle of a pumping test is that if
we pump water from a well and measure the
pumping rate and the drawdown in the well
then we can substitute these measurements into
an appropriate formula and can calculate the
hydraulic characteristics of the aquifer.
It is also called as aquifer tests for aquifer
parameter evaluation.
5
Groundwater is frequently chosen as the most
suitable source of drinking water, supplies of
which are brought to the surface by
rehabilitating existing boreholes or drilling new
ones. Pumping tests are a practical way of
obtaining an idea of the borehole’s efficiency
and its optimal production yield.
6
What is a pumping test ?
7
A pumping test is a practical, reliable method of
estimating well performance, well yield, the
zone of influence of the well and aquifer
characteristics (i.e., the aquifer’s ability to store
and transmit water, aquifer extent, presence of
boundary conditions and possible hydraulic
connection to surface water).
8
Aquifer test and aquifer performance
test (APT) are alternate designations for a
pumping test. In petroleum engineering, a
pumping test is referred to as a drawdown test.
11
e) To test the operation of the pumping and
monitoring equipment,
f) To determine the effects of abstraction on
neighbouring abstractions (sometimes
referred to as derogation).
g) To determine the environmental impact of
the abstraction.
h) To provide information on water quality. Is
the water quality suitable for the intended
use?
12
i) Are there likely to be any problems such as
drawing in saline or polluted water after
extended periods of pumping?
13
Important aquifer parameters:
14
Transmissivity :
15
Storativity or storage coefficient, applicable
for confined aquifers :
16
Specific yield, applicable for unconfined
aquifers :
It is the volume of water released from storage
under gravity by an unconfined aquifer per unit
surface area of aquifer per unit decline of the
water table.
The Specific yield is dimensionless or can be
given in %.
17
Specific capacity of a well :
18
Pump testing is a major investigative tool.
19
Technical terms related to pumping tests are:
20
A well yield test is a short (e.g., approximately
one hour) flow test, usually done by a qualified
well driller once the well is completed to
provide a rough estimate of the well’s yield.
It is generally recorded in the well construction
report by the driller.
Well yield tests are done using bailing1 or air
lifting methods.
21
Well yield is a measure how much water can be
withdrawn from the well over a period of time
and measured in m3/hr or m3/day.
Specific capacity is referring to whether the
well will provide an adequate water supply.
Specific capacity is calculated by dividing
pumping rate over drawdown (Q/S).
The Static water level is the level of water in
the well when no water is being taken out.
22
Dynamic Water level is the level when water is
being drawn from the well.
23
Common types of pumping tests
The common types of pumping tests conducted
include the following:
Constant-rate tests:
24
These tests are carried out by pumping at a
constant rate for a much longer period of time
than the step test, and primarily designed to
provide information on the hydraulic
characteristics of the aquifer.
25
Step-drawdown tests :
These tests proceed through a sequence of
constant-rate steps at the control well to
determine well performance characteristics such
as well loss and well efficiency. Step tests are
designed to establish the short-term relationship
between yield and drawdown for the borehole
being tested.
26
It consists of pumping the borehole in a series
of steps, each at a different discharge rate,
usually with the rate increasing with each step.
The final step should approach the estimated
maximum yield of the borehole
Recovery tests :
These tests use water-level (residual drawdown)
measurements after the termination of pumping.
27
Although often interpreted separately, a
recovery test is an integral part of any pumping
test.
Recovery test are carried out by monitoring the
recovery of water levels on cessation of
pumping at the end of a constant-rate test (and
sometimes after a step test).
28
It provides a useful check on the aquifer
characteristics derived from the other tests but
is valid only if a foot-valve is fitted to the rising
main; otherwise water surges back into the
borehole.
Preliminary studies:
When planning a pumping test, it is useful to
gather together all the information that can be
found about the aquifer and the borehole itself.
29
Basic geology:
Are the rocks crystalline basement, volcanic,
consolidated sediments or unconsolidated
sediments? Groundwater occurs in these rocks
in different ways, and behaves in different
ways.
30
Aquifer configuration:
Is the aquifer confined, unconfined or leaky?
Borehole construction:
How deep is the borehole, and of what
diameter?
Has solid casing, screen or gravel pack been
installed?
31
Installed equipment:
If a pump is already installed in the borehole,
what are its type and capacity, and at what
depth is the pump’s intake? Can the pumping
rate be varied?
32
Does the water level vary much from wet
season to dry season?
In the period before the test takes place, is the
water level already falling or rising or is it
stable? What is the current water level?
Local knowledge:
Residents often have a surprisingly good
understanding of how the groundwater in the
area behaves.
33
For example, how does the water level respond
to rainfall?
Planning Stage:
Designing and planning a pumping test is
critical prior to testing.
34
35
Lack of planning can result in delays, increased
costs, technical difficulties and poor or unusable
data.
Some things to consider in the pre-planning
stage are:
a) time of year the pumping test should be
done
b) natural variations in the groundwater levels
that occur during the test
c) informing others who may be affected
36
d) depth of pump setting and type of pump
e) pumping duration
f) pumping rate
g) control and measurement of the pumping
rate
h) frequency of measurements of the water
levels
i) measuring water levels in neighbouring
wells and/or streams
j) discharge of pumped water
37
k) collection of water samples for water
quality analysis special conditions to be
aware of e.g., salt water intrusion in coastal
aquifers
Materials required for conducting pumping
tests:
For conducting pumping tests and analysing the
data, the following items may be required:
a) generator
b) submersible pump
38
c) discharge pipe, connections
d) flow measurement device(s)
e) tape measure(s), steel tape(s) and
carpenter's chalk
f) pressure transducer(s), cables, data
logger(s)
g) electric water-level sounder(s) and
batteries
h) watches/stopwatches
i) barometric sensor/ thermometer
39
j) pH and conductivity meters
k) sample bottles
l) toolkit, , wires
m) data collection forms, log book,
permanent-ink pens
n) computer, calculator
o) graph paper (semilog, log) and/or
computer software
p) references, standard operating procedures
40
q) manufacturer's operating manuals for
equipment
r) maps (site, geologic and topographic),
cross section(s).
Well-Inventory analysis:
43
2. The type of aquifer and confining beds.
3.The thickness and lateral extent of the aquifer
and confining beds.
4. The aquifer may be bounded laterally by
barrier boundaries of impermeable material in
the lithology (e.g. the bedrock sides of a buried
valley, a fault, or simply lateral changes of the
aquifer material);
44
Data on the groundwater-flow system:
horizontal or vertical flow of groundwater,
water table gradients, and regional trends in
groundwater levels.
Details of any existing surrounding wells in the
area.
Selecting the well for the pumping tests:
Well should be suitable for the test.
45
The hydrogeological conditions should not
change over short distances and should be
representative of the area under consideration,
or at least a large part of it;
46
- The site should not be in the vicinity of
existing discharging wells;
47
Manpower and equipment must be able to
reach the site early and easily.
48
Sometimes, bore well drilled for drinking water
supply purpose are tested to know the
hydrological properties, by conducting pumping
tests.
Well diameter:
Before conducting the pumping test the
dimensions of the well should be measures.
49
Radius for circular wells. length and width for
rectangular wells.
The depth also should be measured. if it is new
well, during the drilling operations, samples of
the geological formations that are pierced
should be collected and described lithologically.
The pump : -
The pump and power unit should be capable of
operating continuously at a constant discharge
for a period of at least a few days.
51
There are several factors to be considered when
determining the type of pump to be used and
the depth at which it should be set, including:
a) well diameter and desired pumping rate
b) total dynamic head including the pumping
water level, the above ground head (if
applicable) and all friction losses in the casing,
pipes, fittings, etc.;
c) reliability of power source; and horsepower
requirements.
52
An even longer period may be required for
unconfined or leaky aquifers, and especially for
fractured aquifers.
In such cases, pumping should continue for
several days more.
The capacity of the pump and the rate of
discharge should be high enough to produce
good measurable drawdowns in piezometers.
53
It should be as far away as, say, 100 or 200 m
from the well, depending on the aquifer
conditions.
54
This can be done by conveying the water
through a large-diameter pipe, say over
a distance of 100 or 200 m, and then
discharging it into a canal or natural channel.
Piezometers:
57
In an isotropic and homogeneous aquifer, the
piezometers should be placed at a depth that
coincides with that of half the length of the well
screen.
For example, if the well is fully penetrating and
its screen is between 10 and 20 m below the
ground surface, the piezometers should be
placed at a depth of about 15 m.
58
The type of aquifer:
59
In unconfined aquifers, the loss of head
propagates slowly.
Here, the release of water from storage is
mostly due to the dewatering of the zone.
A leaky aquifer occupies an intermediate
position.
60
Transmissivity:
65
The discharge pipe and the valve should be
sized so that the valve will be from ½ to ¾ open
when pumping at the desired rate.
The valve should be installed at a sufficient
distance from the flow measurement device to
avoid any impacts from turbulence.
Measuring the discharge of pumped water
accurately is also important and common
methods of measuring discharge include the use
of an orifice plate and manometer.
66
Aquifers with stratification:
Homogeneous aquifers are rare in nature. Most
of the aquifers are stratified to some extent.
Stratification causes differences in horizontal
and vertical hydraulic conductivity, so that the
drawdown observed at a certain distance from
the well may differ at different depths within
the aquifer. As pumping continues, these
differences in drawdown diminish.
67
Moreover, the greater the distance from the
well, the less effect stratification has upon the
drawdowns.
Fractured rock :
Deciding on the number and location of
piezometers in fractured rock poses a special
problem, although the rock can be so densely
fractured that its drawdown response to
pumping resembles that of an unconsolidated
homogeneous aquifer;
68
69
if so, the number and location of the
piezometers can be chosen in the same way as
for such an aquifer.
71
So, for some days prior to the test, the water
levels in the well and the piezometers should be
measured, say twice a day.
Water-level measurements:
72
Because water levels are dropping fast during
the first one or two hours of the test, the
readings in this period should be made at brief
intervals.
As pumping continues, the intervals can be
gradually lengthened.
After the pump has been shut down, the water
levels in the well and the piezometers will start
to rise - rapidly in the first hour, but more
slowly afterwards.
73
These rises can be measured in what is known
as a recovery test.
80
Measurement intervals to be considered:
Water levels measurements for pumping well
could be taken as the following :
Time since start of Time
pumping intervals
(minutes) (minutes)
0–5 0.5
5 – 60 5
60 – 120 20
120 – shut down the pump 60
81
Similarly, for observation wells, water level
measurement can be taken as the following:
82
After the pump has been shut down, the water
levels in the well will start to rise again.
These rises can be measured in what is known
as recovery test.
If the pumping rate was not constant throughout
the pumping test, recovery-test data are more
reliable than drawdown data because the water
table recovers at a constant rate.
83
Measurements of recovery shall continue until
the aquifer has recovered to within 95% of its
pre-pumping water level.
85
The potentiometric surface of the aquifer is not
changing with time prior to the start of the
pumping.
All changes in the position of the potentiometric
surface are due to the effect of the pumping
well alone. The aquifer is homogeneous and
isotropic. All flow is radial toward the well.
Groundwater flow is horizontal. Darcy’s law is
valid. Groundwater has a constant density and
viscosity.
86
Proper discharge of the pumped water:
Proper discharge of the pumped water is
important to ensure there is no damage due to
erosion, flooding or sediment deposits in
streams.
For land disposal, direct the water from the
pumping well in a down-hill direction at a
sufficient distance from the pumping well.
87
This will prevent re-circulation of the pumped
water into the well or aquifer and will preserve
both the pumping water level and the integrity
of the pumping test.
Hydrofracturing :
89
Pumping Test Report:
94
Limitations of pumping tests:
95
However, the decisions should be based on a
wider understanding of the regional geology,
hydrogeology and environment.
Conclusion: