GW-50-Steady Flow

WATER WELL HYDRAULICS

• It includes to study the behavior of wells, generally from a

somewhat idealized perspective.
• Assumptions will include isotropy, homogeneity and,
generally full penetration of the aquifer by the well.
• Although restrictive, these simplifications will not detract
from the tremendous usefulness of the results.
• As we will see, the study of well behavior will provide ways
of estimating aggregate parameters of aquifers.
• Therefore, wells are not only a way to take out or add water
to aquifers, but they are also instruments of the study of
groundwater flow parameters.

Flow of Groundwater towards Well

• Water wells operate according to the principles of hydraulics.

• When a well is pumped, the water flows into the well from the aquifer
because the pumping creates a difference in pressure.

• During the pumping, water is removed from the aquifer surrounding the
well, and the water table or piezometric surface, depending upon the
type of aquifer, is lowered.

• Before pumping, in every water well, the water stands at a height equal
to the static water level.

• When pumping starts, the water in the well is pulled and the water starts
to flow into the well from the aquifer because water level inside the well
during the pumping is lowered.

• This pressure difference causes the water to move through the water
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bearing formations towards the well.
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Dr. Taj Ali Khan, NWFP UET Peshawar 1

 GW-50-Steady Flow

Important Terms and Definitions

Water Table: The upper surface of the zone of saturation or the
surface of atmospheric pressure in an unconfined aquifer is called
water table.

Piezometric Surface: It is an imaginary surface of the hydrostatic

pressure level of water in a confined aquifer. The piezometric surface
is also called potentiometric surface and it can lie above the ground
surface (i.e. in flowing wells).

Well Yield: Well yield is the volume of water per unit time
discharged from a well, either by pumping or by free flow.

Static Water Level: The level at which water stands in a well either
penetrating an unconfined or confined aquifer is called static water
level. In case of confined aquifer, it is also called piezometric surface.
Static water level is measured from the ground surface. 3

Pumping Water Level: The level at which water stands in a well

when the well is pumped is called pumping water level. It is also
called dynamic water level.

Drawdown: The drawdown at a given time is the vertical distance the

water is lowered in a well by pumping. It is estimated as the
difference in the static water level and pumping water level.

Residual Drawdown: After pumping is stopped, water level rise and

approach the static water level, observed before the pumping started.
During such a recovery period, the distance that the water level is
found to be below the initial static water level, is called residual
drawdown.

Groundwater Divide: It is boundary between the zones which are

affected and unaffected by pumping. It is also called the circle of
influence. 4

Dr. Taj Ali Khan, NWFP UET Peshawar 2

 GW-50-Steady Flow

Drawdown Curve and Cone of Depression

When a well is pumped, the water level depresses maximum

surrounding the well and it decreases as distance from the well
increases.

A drawdown curve shows the variation of drawdown with distance

from the well. In three dimensions, the water level around the well
assumes the shape of an inverted cone, which is called cone of
depression.

The flow of water towards the well is radial and the velocity of well
increases as the flow converges towards the well.

The behavior of the cone of depression in space and time is a

function of several factors such as aquifer parameters, the aquifer
configuration and the rate of discharge.
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Steady Radial Flow to a Well

• When a well is pumped, water is removed from the aquifer surrounding

the well, and the water table or piezometric surface, depending on the type
of aquifer, is lowered.
• The drawdown at a given point is the distance the water level is lowered.
• A drawdown curve shows the variation of drawdown with distance from
the well.
• In three dimensions the drawdown curve describes a conic shape known
as the cone of depression.
• The outer limit of the cone of depression defines the area of influence of
the well. At certain radius re,t known as the radius of influence at time t,
the drawdown is almost negligible. The water beyond this influence is
theoretically unaffected by pumping.
• The circle of influence is in affect a groundwater divide, which is the
boundary between the zones that are affected and unaffected by pumping.
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Dr. Taj Ali Khan, NWFP UET Peshawar 3

 GW-50-Steady Flow

Groundwater Movement -- Cone of Depression

Water table

flow flow
Cone of depression

Pumping water from a well causes a cone of depression to

form in the water table at the well site. 7

Assumptions
The derivation of equations relating well discharge to water-
level drawdown and hydraulic properties of aquifers is
generally based on the following assumptions:

1. The well is pumped, or flows, at a constant rate.

2. The well fully penetrates the aquifer and is screened,
perforated, or otherwise open for the entire height of the
aquifer.
3. The aquifer is homogeneous, isotropic, horizontal, and of
infinite horizontal extent.
4. Water is released from storage in the aquifer or other
underground material in immediate response to a drop in
water table or piezometric surface. 8

Dr. Taj Ali Khan, NWFP UET Peshawar 4

 GW-50-Steady Flow

Steady Radial Flow to a Well (confined aquifer)

Darcy’s law for flow through any cylinder is Q = K i A. The area perpendicular to
flow is the circumference times the aquifer thickness (2πrb). Mass is conserved, so
the amount of water flowing at steady state through any cylinder is the same. All
water flowing out of a cylinder flows is fully replaced (from outside).

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This equation is known as Thiem or Equilibrium Equation.
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If we have two observation wells located at r1 and r2 respectively, then

Thiem equation becomes

From a practical standpoint, the drawdown s rather than the head h is

measured so that Thiem equation can be written as

H = h 1 + s 1 = h2 + s 2

• In order to apply the above equation, pumping must continue at a uniform rate
for a sufficient time to approach a steady state condition – that is, one in which
the drawdown changes negligibly with time.
• The observation wells should be located close enough to the pumping well so
that their drawdown are appreciable and can be readily measured.
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Dr. Taj Ali Khan, NWFP UET Peshawar 5

 GW-50-Steady Flow

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Effective Radius
• The distance from the well where the drawdown is theoretically zero, is called the
radius of influence or effective radius. It is the distance beyond which the
drawdown is negligible.
• Since a true steady state can not prevail in an infinite aquifer, the effective radius
will increase with time but at very large time the increase is so small that it can be
taken as non varying.
• The radius of influence will be affected by such parameters such as well discharge,
type of the aquifer (confined or unconfined), the saturated thickness (b or he),
transmissivity or hydraulic conductivity, drawdown at the well face etc.
• Some empirical relationships describe the extent of effective radius (re) as below:

The re , sw, and he are in meters and K in m/s. For confined aquifer
replace he by b. 12

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Dr. Taj Ali Khan, NWFP UET Peshawar 6

 GW-50-Steady Flow

Table #. Approximate values of radius of influence r.

Groundwater Extent of cone of

S# Type of sediment
conditions depression r (meters)
Fine and medium grained Confined 250-500
1
sands Unconfined 100-200
Coarse-grained sands and Confined 750-1500
2
gravel-pebble beds Unconfined 300-500
Confined 1000-1500
3 Fissured rocks
Unconfined 500-1000

Source: Brown, R.H., A.A. Konoplyantsev, J. Ineson and V.S. Kovatsky.

(1972). Groundwater Studies. UNESCO.

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STEADY FLOW to a Well in an Unconfined Aquifer

Instead of ‘b’ take ‘h’ for the thickness of the aquifer
Darcy’s Law for flow in an arbitrary cylinder is:

Dupuit/Thiem equation for unconfined aquifer 14

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Dr. Taj Ali Khan, NWFP UET Peshawar 7

 GW-50-Steady Flow

Two observation wells

One observation well

and effective radius

Well face and

effective radius

Drawdown curve can be drawn using

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Dr. Taj Ali Khan, NWFP UET Peshawar 8