GROUNDWATER ENGINEERING

3. GROUNDWATER MOVEMENT

1. Basic concepts

2. Properties: porosity and hydraulic conductivity

3. Darcy´s experimental law and field extensions

4. Field mapping

5. Flow in fractured rocks

 Precipitation
Hydrologic Cycle
Evapo- Watering
transpiration
Overland flow
EDAPHIC SOIL
Volumetric water content

Direct recharge No direct Recharge

UNSATURATED ZONE Through flow

Recharge
(Percolation)

Groundwater
AQUIFER flow
Water table
 Precipitation
Hydrologic Cycle
Evapo- Watering
transpiration
Overland flow
EDAPHIC SOIL
Volumetric water content

Direct recharge No direct Recharge

Oxidizing zone

UNSATURATED ZONE Through flow

Reducing zone Recharge

(Percolation)

Groundwater
AQUIFER flow
Water table
Groundwater movement

Oxidizing zone

Aeration
zone
Water
table

Saturation
Reducing zone zone
 Groundwater movement
• Introduction

Oxidizing zone

recharge

spring

Reducing zone
discharge
High temperature

Long stay
 Groundwater movement
• Concepts
Porous media Fractured media

Intergranular Fractured:
pores Secondary porosity

Reynolds Number Reynolds Number

Laminar flow Turbulent flow
 Groundwater movement
• Concepts
solid Vertical movement : gravitatory
Molecular water
capillary rise
Gas (air)

Capillary
water

Satured
soil Rupture zone
of the capillary loop
zone
Dry

Horizontal movement

Capillary
loop
 Groundwater movement
• Concepts

Grains equal = Different Grains =

Much porosity Low porosity
 Groundwater movement
• Concepts
Aquifer

Kind:

Confined
 Groundwater movement
• Concepts

Confined aquifer

Aquifer
 Groundwater movement
• Concepts
Kinds

Semiconfined

Free
 Groundwater movement
• Concepts

Upper unconfined Watertable

aquifer (semiconfined aquifer)
 Groundwater movement
• Concepts
Aquitard

Porous formation that water passes slowly

Acuifugo

Porous formation that does not allow to pass water or stored

Aquiclude

Porous formation that does not allow to pass water but stores
GROUNDWATER ENGINEERING

3. GROUNDWATER MOVEMENT

1. Basic concepts

2. Properties: porosity and hydraulic conductivity

3. Darcy´s experimental law and field extensions

4. Field mapping

5. Flow in fractured rocks

 Groundwater movement
• Parameters
Kinematic porosity
Portion of gaps through which water circulates

A Flow

Distribution of velocity

Flow tube

Section
 Groundwater movement
• Parameters
Porosity: It is represented as the nonsolid fraction of geologic
materials
Vh

V
Gravels: 0,22 – 0,25
Sands: 0,25 – 0,27
Silts: 0,21
Clays: 0,07 – 0,3

V • Relationship with the grading, compactation,

moisture and presence of clay

• Effective porosity(m): Unconnected voids are

not taken into account
 Groundwater movement
• Parameters

Kind of porosity

POROSITY

SPECIFIC
SPECIFIC RETENTION YIELD
Portion that will
Water does not Evapotranspirable
drain freely by
move water
gravity
 Groundwater movement
• Parameters

Size distribution Sieves

% passing

Sand
Uniformity coefficient
(Hazen)

f = d60 / d10

Log (particle size (mm))

Effective grain size
Grading curve: Plot of grain size versus
percent finer by weight
 Groundwater movement
• Parameters

Size classification of materials (mm)

CLAY FINE SILT COARSE SILT SAND GRAVEL STONE

10-4 – 2 10-3 2 10-3 – 2 10-2 2 10-2 – 10-1 10-1 – 2 2 – 30 > 30

Origin of porosity
Fracturation Rock crevices

Dissolution Karst

Deposition of material Homogeneous porous media

 Groundwater movement
• Parameters

Total porosity

Gravimetric methods

Volumetric methods Coherent material

Effective porosity
Saturación and drained method

Volumetric correlation method Grading curve

Drained centrifugation method

Mercury injection method

Pumping method Field estimate

 Groundwater movement
• Parameters

Porosimeter
GROUNDWATER ENGINEERING

3. GROUNDWATER MOVEMENT

1. Basic concepts

2. Properties: porosity and hydraulic conductivity

3. Darcy´s experimental law and field extensions

4. Field mapping

5. Flow in fractured rocks

 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law
h1

h1  h2
QA K
A: cross section L
v: Darcy´s velocity
Q
h2
K: Permeability
L
Experimental law
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Permeability
  K(q) = K*Kr Kr = f(q)
K  cd2 k
 

Intrínsic permeability

Values of 104 m/d 0.1 m/d 10-3 m/d 10-6 m/d

K
Medium Gravels Sands Silts Clays
Groundwater
movement
• Permeability
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Real velocity
Tracers methods
vr  m
K
i
Hidraulic gradient Effective porosity

Estimate
Hazen k = c d2
Equivalent diameter, d10
constant

Konezy

Terzaghi
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Permeameter

t
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law
Kinematic porosity
Portion of gaps through which water circulates

A Flow

Distribution of velocity

Flow tube

Section Flowrate = q * A = vr * Ah q = vr * Ah / A = v * m
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Experimental law Laminar flow between two plates

1
IB  I A  Fext

 p 
B Qv B   p  dx S  Qv A  pS)  2dx
 x 
p p
dx2b  2dx b
A
x
  x

p p
2b p dx
x
A
 B
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

p v2 p
Bernouilli hz  z
 2g 

dh 1 dp dh
Horizontal plate    b  bI  IR h
dx  dx dx

dv 1  2b
 Newtoniano fluid Rh  b
y v dy 11

  IR h  Iy  
dv
dy
v
I 2
2

b  y2 )
b
1 Ib2 b2 dh dh b2
2b b
Average velocity v vdy     K K
3 3 dx dx 3
GROUNDWATER ENGINEERING

3. GROUNDWATER MOVEMENT

1. Basic concepts

2. Properties: porosity and hydraulic conductivity

3. Darcy´s experimental law and field extensions

4. Field mapping

5. Flow in fractured rocks

 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Fractured media

Major
discontinuities
Source

Block with fractures and the Moisture zone

saturated zone limit
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Intergranular Fractured:
pores Secondary porosity

Stratification

Fault

Fracture
concentration Creek
zone
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Parameters: Residence time and trajectory

 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Generalization
q
q  K  grad h

 h 
 qx  k xx k xy k xz   x 
     
 qy   k yx k yy k yz    h 
y
q  k zx k zy k zz   h 
 
 z 
 z 

Isotropic medium: K is an scalar

Anisotropic medium: q and the gradient are not parallel

Homogenous medium: K is constant at every point

Heterogenous medium: K is not constant at every point

 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Heterogenous medium
Qz e1
Equivalent Permeability:
B e2
Horizontal
B
Qy e h
qy   K y 
K1
ei
B2 B
K2 h
K3 Q y   Qiy   K i eiB)  h K iei
i i B i
B
Ki K ey 
Qy

K e
i i

K e i i

Bh e i B
Vertical
Qz h Qz h
qz  2
 K ey  qz  2
 K ey 
Qy B B B B
 hi  2
Qz   K i B
eQ  Q
h   hi    i 2z   2z
ei
i K K ey 
e i

 e i  i  K iB  B e
i i
K i

i
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Validity Upper limit: Re < 5

A q
Q  q  A  v  Ah v  q 
Ah 
Φ
1
ERV
A Flow

10-6 10-3 Size (m)

continuous
Cross
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Fractured rocks B
Q  Qf  Nf Nf 
L
 b2  dh 
Q f  2bB    
 3 dx 
fracture
B
 b2  dh  B 2b3B2  dh
Q  2bB      
 3 dx  L 3L dx
L
B Q Q 2b3  dh dh
q  2   K e
A B 3L dx dx

2b3 
Cubic law Ke 
3L
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Anisotropy in fractured media

 h  h

q
h1 h2 < h1 h1 h2 < h1

q
 h 
 h   qx  k xx k xy k xz   x 
 qx   x       
     qy    k yx k yy k yz    h 
 qy   K   h y  q 
y
q   h   z k zx
 k zy k zz   h 
 
 z    z 
 z 

K : scalar K : tensor
 Groundwater movement
• Darcy´s experimental law

Anisotropy in fractured media

z
n 1  n1n1  n1n2
3
 n1n3 
2b   
K  n n 1  n n  n n
3L 
1 2 2 2 2 3 

  n1n3  n2n3 1  n3n3 

x
K  K1  K 2
y • Non-planar fractures 1
• Rugosity
• Variable aperture
σ • opening depends on σ and 
2