Abstract
Cyclic injection, storage, and withdrawal of freshwater in brackish aquifers is a form of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) that can beneficially supplement water supplies in coastal areas. A 1970s field experiment in Norfolk, Virginia, showed that clay dispersion in the unconsolidated sedimentary aquifer occurred because of cation exchange on clay minerals as freshwater displaced brackish formation water. Migration of interstitial clay particles clogged pores, reduced permeability, and decreased recovery efficiency, but a calcium preflush was found to reduce clay dispersion and lead to a higher recovery efficiency. Column experiments were performed in this study to quantify the relations between permeability changes and clay mineralogy, clay content, and initial water salinity. The results of these experiments indicate that dispersion of montmorillonite clay is a primary contributor to formation damage. The reduction in permeability by clay dispersion may be expressed as a linear function of chloride content. Incorporating these simple functions into a radial, cross-sectional, variable-density, ground-water flow and transport model yielded a satisfactory simulation of the Norfolk field test – and represented an improvement over the model that ignored changes in permeability. This type of model offers a useful planning and design tool for ASR operations in coastal clastic aquifer systems.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
August, L. L.: 1986, Model for aquifer deterioration during an injection/withdrawal cycle of fresh water in a brackish water aquifer using laboratory data from column experiments, M.S. Thesis, George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Bear, J.: 1979, Hydraulics of Groundwater, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Brown, D. L. and Silvey, W. D.: 1977, Artificial recharge to a freshwater-sensitive brackish-water sand aquifer, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. Geol. Survey Prof. Paper 939.
Brown, E., Skougstad, M.W. and Fishman, M. J.: 1970, Methods for collection and analysis of water samples for dissolved minerals and gases, U.S. Geol. Survey Techs. Water-Resource Invests., Book 5, Chapter A1.
Dodd, C. G., Conley, F. R. and Barnes, P. M.: 1955, Clay minerals in petroleum reservoir sands and water sensitivity effects, In: Clays and Clay Minerals, Proc. 3rd Conf., Natl. Acad. Sci. Natl. Res. Council Pub. 395, pp. 221-238.
Esmail, O. J. and Kimbler, O. K.: 1967, Investigation of the technical feasibility of storing fresh water in saline aquifers, Water Resour. Res. 3(3), 683-695.
Goldenberg, L. C., Magaritz, M. and Mandel, S.: 1983, Experimental investigation on irreversible changes of hydraulic conductivity on the seawater-freshwater interface in coastal aquifers, Water Resour. Res. 19(1) 77-85.
Goldenberg, L. C., Magaritz, M., Amiel, A. J., and Mandel, S.: 1984, Changes in hydraulic conductivity of laboratory sand-clay mixtures caused by a seawater-freshwater interface, J. Hydrol. 70, 329-336.
Gray, D. H. and Rex, R. W.: 1966, Formation damage in sandstones caused by clay dispersion and migration, In: Clays and Clay Minerals, Proc. 14th National Conference, Pergamon Press, London, pp. 355-366.
Grove, D. B. and Konikow, L. F.: 1976, Modeling cyclic storage of water in aquifers, EOS, Trans. Am. Geophys. Union 57(12), 916-917.
Jones, F. O.: 1964, Influence of chemical composition of water on clay blocking of permeability, J. Petrol. Tech. 16, 441-446.
Kendall, D. R. (ed.): 1997, Conjunctive Use of Water Resources: Aquifer Storage and Recovery, Proc. AWRA Symposium, Oct. 1997, Long Beach, CA.
Kumar, A. and Kimbler, O. K.: 1970, Effect of dispersion, gravitational segregation, and formation stratification on the recovery of freshwater stored in saline aquifers, Water Resour. Res. 6(6), 1689-1700.
McNeal, B. L., Layfield, D. A., Norvell, W. A. and Rhoades, J. D.: 1968, Factors influencing hydraulic conductivity of soils in the presence of mixed-salt solutions, Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc. 32(2), 187-190.
Mehnert, E. and Jennings, A. A.: 1985, The effect of salinity-dependent hydraulic conductivity on saltwater intrusion episodes, J. Hydrol. 80, 283-297.
Merritt, M. L.: 1985, Subsurface storage of freshwater in South Florida: A digital model analysis of recoverability, U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Supply Paper 2261.
Moulder, E. A.: 1970, Freshwater bubbles: A possibility for using saline aquifers to store water, Water Resour. Res. 6(5), 1528-1531.
Pyne, R. D. G.: 1995, Groundwater Recharge and Wells: A Guide to Aquifer Storage Recovery, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Shainberg, I., Rhoades, J. D. and Prather, R. J.: 1981, Effect of low electrolyte concentration on clay dispersion and hydraulic conductivity of sodic soil, Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 45(2), 273-277.
Smith, C. G., Jr. and Hanor, J. S.: 1975, Underground storage of treated water: A field test, Ground Water 13(5), 410-417.
Tibbals, C. H. and Frazee, J. M., Jr.: 1976, Ground-water hydrology of the Cocoa well-field area, Orange County, Florida, U.S. Geol. Survey Open-File Rept. 676.
Voss, C. I.: 1984, SUTRA-Saturated Unsaturated TRAnsport-A finite-element simulation model for saturated-unsaturated fluid-density-dependent ground-water flow with energy transport or chemically-reactive single-species solute transport, U.S. Geol. Survey Water-Res. Invest. Rept. 84-4369.
Weast, R. C. (ed.): 1974, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics 1974-1975, CRC Press, Cleveland, Ohio.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Konikow, L.F., August, L.L. & Voss, C.I. Effects of Clay Dispersion on Aquifer Storage and Recovery in Coastal Aquifers. Transport in Porous Media 43, 45–64 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010613525547
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010613525547