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An Innovative Approach to Assessing the Distribution of Stored Freshwater while Injecting it through a Well Partially Screening the Brackish Aquifer

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Abstract

Over-exploitation of groundwater in the regions favorable for human settlements around the world has raised uncertainties on the sustainability of this precious resource in the future. However, the stress on the fresh groundwater zones can be reduced substantially by managing inland brackish/saline aquifers. Freshwater when available in excess can be stored judiciously in such aquifers for later on use; though a certain quantity of fresh water is lost during its storage and recovery depending upon the in situ groundwater gradient and buoyancy effect (caused due to density difference in the injected and ambient waters). Hence, increasing the efficiency of freshwater recovery was our prime concern, and for which there was a need to know the interface boundaries of freshwater stored in the ambient water. For the purpose, a new method has been developed and proposed in this paper that is based on the hydraulics of an injection well and the breakthrough curve of the injected tracer through the storage medium (i.e. aquifer). The close agreement between the outcome of the proposed model and method with the field observations has validated the acceptance of this innovative concept. The model results show that the shape acquired by the injected freshwater in the brackish/saline aquifer depends upon the screened location of the well about its centerline. Additionally, the storage of freshwater in the upper portion of the aquifer is the most efficient way to minimize its contact with the ambient water and subsequently its loss due to the development of the dispersion zone.

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Availability of Data and Material

We performed a field experiment to procure data and the complete infrastructure belongs to the project.

Abbreviations

a L :

Longitudinal dispersivity [L]

‘b’:

Aquifer thickness [L]

C 0 :

Original concentration of tracer in injected water

C0(di):

The chemical concentration of groundwater at depth di

Ct(di):

The chemical concentration of groundwater at depth di after injecting freshwater for time ‘t’

CI(Su ↔ Sl):

The chemical concentration of the injected water through the well screen (Su ↔ Sl)

C(r, t):

Tracer concentration at any radial distance ‘r’ after an injection period ‘t’

‘c’:

Hydraulic resistance of the leaky confining layer of the aquifer [T]

D AS :

The vertical distance between the perpendicular bisector of the well screen axis and the centerline of the aquifer [L]

EC :

Electrical conductivity (dS/m)

K :

Hydraulic conductivity of the aquifer [L/T]

K0(!), K1(!):

Modified Bessel functions of the second kind of order zero and one, respectively

‘k’:

Permeability of the porous medium [L2]

L; Li :

Characteristic pore (or porous medium) length; of ith flow segment [L]

n p :

Aquifer porosity (%)

\( {p}_v^n \) :

Number of pore volumes

Q i :

Injection rate [L3/T]

R :

The distance of the observation well from injection well [L]

‘r’:

Radial coordinate [L]

S :

Storage coefficient of the aquifer (dimensionless)

SAR :

Sodium adsorption ratio (meq./l)½

d i :

Groundwater sampling depth at ith location [L]

S i :

Porous medium’s ith flow segment

S l :

Depth of the lower level of the well screen from the top of the aquifer [L]

S u :

Depth of the top of the well screen from the top of the aquifer [L]

‘t’:

Time [T]

‘vd’:

Darcy velocity [L/T]

V p :

Pore water velocity [L/T]

X p :

Characteristic pore cross-section [L2]

‘z’:

Vertical coordinate [L]

ε(R, di)t :

Relative concentration distribution of injected fluid into ambient fluid monitored at a location (R, di)after an injection period ‘t’

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Funding

Project entitled “Agricultural drainage under actual farming conditions on watershed basis”, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Agricultural Engineering and Post-Harvest Technology, CAU, Ranipool, Sikkim, 737135, India

    Ajay Kumar Vashisht

  2. College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, 141004, India

    Shri Krishna Shakya

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  1. Ajay Kumar Vashisht
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  2. Shri Krishna Shakya
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All authors contributed equally.

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Correspondence to Ajay Kumar Vashisht.

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Vashisht, A.K., Shakya, S.K. An Innovative Approach to Assessing the Distribution of Stored Freshwater while Injecting it through a Well Partially Screening the Brackish Aquifer. Water Resour Manage 34, 4687–4701 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-020-02682-6

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