Journal of Hydrology, 119 (1990) 393-399 393

Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam-- Printed in The Netherlands

[2l

N U M E R I C A L A N A L Y S I S OF L A R G E - D I A M E T E R W E L L S W I T H A
SEEPAGE FACE - COMMENT
-

ZEKAISEN*
Faculty of Earth Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 1744, Jeddah 21441, (Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia)
(Received and accepted for publication January 18, 1990)

Numerical models can be applicable provided t h a t they are based on basic

physical considerations of the phenomenon concerned and after the
meaningful interpretations of laboratory and/or field data. Unfortunately in
recent years, the modelling of physical phenomena by various techniques is
considered without physical interpretations of the available data. The paper
presented by Sakthivadivel and Rushton is an example of this. There is no
objection to the use of numerical models, but their hasty application to the
available field data can lead to erroneous and unreliable results.
The authors gave the impression t h a t the seepage face is significant in
large-diameter wells only. On the contrary, it is more important and effective
in small-diameter wells; hence, the discussion should not be confined to large-
diameter wells only.
The statement t h a t tests at different rates show that the seepage face is
intimately related to the rate of pumping from the well is already well known
through the work of Jacob (1947). In fact, it is the conventional practice to
perform step drawdown tests in the field in order to determine well loss which
is equivalent to the seepage face. The well drawdown, sw, is the summation of
the aquifer drawdown, sa, at the well face and well loss, Sp, i.e.:
Sw = sa + Sp (4)
More explicitly in terms of pump discharge, Q, eqn. (4) can be written according
to Jacob (1947) as:
Sw = BQ + CQ ~ (5)
in which B and C are the aquifer and well loss coefficients, respectively.
Comparison of eqns. (4) and (5) shows that sa = B Q and Sp = CQ2 or:
sp/sa = aQ (6)

*Permanent address: Technical University of Istanbul, Civil Engineering Faculty, Hydraulics

Division, Ayaza~a,Istanbul, Turkey.

0022-1694/90/$03.50 1990 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.