Abstract
We deal with the spatial distribution of the hydraulic conductivity K within heterogeneous porous formations where a radial flow (typical of pumping and slug tests) is taking place. In particular, the study provides a wide data-set which is instrumental to corroborate theoretical findings about the stochastic behavior of K in the above flow configuration. Here, K-data pertain to a series of slug tests conducted within a large caisson which was densely instrumented in order to capture the transitional behavior of the conductivity from the near field (close to the pumping well) to the far field (away from the pumping well). For the experiments at stake, it is shown that the apparent conductivity \(K_{\mathrm{app}}\) is a very robust property. In fact, with the exception of a very tiny annulus surrounding the pumping well, \(K_{\mathrm{app}}\) can be used to solve flow (and transport) problems in close analogy to the effective theory approach adopted for a groundwater-type flow. It is hoped that the data-set exploited in the present study will be useful for other researchers who are engaged with similar studies.
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Acknowledgements
The constructive comments from two anonymous Referees have been deeply appreciated, and they have significantly improved the early version of the manuscript. This study was developed within the GNCS (Gruppo Nazionale Calcolo Scientifico - INdAM) framework.
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Severino, G., De Bartolo, S., Brunetti, G. et al. Experimental evidence of the stochastic behavior of the conductivity in radial flow configurations. Stoch Environ Res Risk Assess 33, 1651–1657 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-019-01704-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00477-019-01704-z