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Solute Travel Times to Wells a, b
Author(s) -
Kirkham Don,
Affleck S. B.
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
groundwater
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 94
eISSN - 1745-6584
pISSN - 0017-467X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-6584.1977.tb03168.x
Subject(s) - streamlines, streaklines, and pathlines , radius , line (geometry) , conductivity , square (algebra) , physics , flow (mathematics) , travel time , constant (computer programming) , analytical chemistry (journal) , geometry , chemistry , mechanics , mathematics , engineering , programming language , chromatography , computer security , quantum mechanics , computer science , transport engineering
Theoretical travel times are given for a solute to reach a well from an injection point, for wells that fully penetrate confined aquifers of constant thickness and mainly constant conductivity and porosity. Solute is assumed to move along streamlines with the water in piston flow under steady flow conditions. Three cases are considered.1 For a “standard” well of external radius of influence re and well radius r w , the travel time varies approximately directly as the square of the distance r of the injection point from the well, as the ratio f/K of porosity to conductivity, and as l n r e /r w . 2 For a well in which the flow region is divided by radius r e into two regions, with the region next to the well clogged and of very low conductivity K I the travel time varies approximately directly as r squared, as K I , and as l n r c /r w . 3 For a well being fed from a line drive (river) at a distance d from the well, the travel time from a point on the line drive to the well varies as the distance d squared, as f/K, as l n 2d/r w , and as a function of the position of the point along the line drive.In each case, the travel time is inversely proportional to h e ‐ h w , where he is the head at the radius of influence re (or at the line drive) and h w is the head at the well. In the three cases, doubling the pumping rate halves the travel time. Travel times can affect the extent of chemical changes of the solute (contaminant) during its flow to the well.