Hydraulic Characteristics

Of
An Aquifer
 Hydraulic Characteristics of
An Aquifer

 Porosity (ɐ)
 SpecificYield (SY)
 Specific Retention (SR)
 Storage Co-efficient (S)
 Hydraulic Conductivity (K)
 Transmissibility (T)
INTERSTICES / VOIDS / PORE SPACE

Nature:
 Geological framework of rocks
 Orderly description of the geology
 Geological history of an area
:Types:
 Primary – 1. Igneous, 2. Sedimentary
 Secondary – Due to shrinkage pressure,
deformation, and chemical
decomposition
Porosity
It’s a ratio of volume of interstices (Vi) occupied in
unit volume of rock (V) and quantitatively expressed
as percentage.

ƿ = Vi / V X 100
> 20 % Large
20 – 05% Medium
<05% Small

Clay: 45 – 55%; Sand: 35 – 40%; Gravel: 30 – 40%;

Sandy Gravel: 20 – 30%
Sandstone: 10 – 20%; Shale & Limestone: 01 – 10%;
Schists: 20 – 30%; Basalt: 05 – 15%; and
Granite: up to 45%
 SPECIFIC YIELD (SY)
{EFFECTIVE POROSITY}

Percentage volume of rock occupied by

the ultimate volume of water released
from or added to storage in a water
table type aquifer, unit area of aquifer at
unit decline or rise of the water level.

Sandstone: 05 – 15%
Shale & Limestone: 0.5 – 05%
Granite: 03 – 04%
Basalt: 02 – 03%
Specific Yield
SPECIFIC RETENTION (SR)

Percentage of volume of rock occupied by

groundwater that will be retained in interstices
against the force of gravity.

SR = ƿ – SY

ƿ = SY + SR
 Storage Co-efficient (S)
The volume of water that an aquifer releases from or takes in to
storage per unit surface area of aquifer, per unit change in the
component of head normal to that surface.
Empirical Formula (S = 3 x 10-6 x b)
 Storage Terms

h
h

Unconfined aquifer Confined aquifer

Specific yield = Sy Storativity = S
S = V /A  h
S = Ss b

Ss = specific storage
Figures from Hornberger et al. (1998)
 HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY (K)

Darcy’s Law
The flow rate of water through a
porous media is proportional to the
head loss and inversely proportional to
the length of the flow path.
 Generalized Darcy’s Column

h = h1 – h2

h/L = hydraulic
gradient

Q is proportional to
h/L

q = Q/A

Figure from Hornberger et al. (1998)

 True flow paths

Linear flow paths

assumed in
Darcy’s law

Specific discharge Average linear velocity

q = Q/A v = Q/An= q/n
n = effective porosity
Figure from Hornberger et al. (1998)
Q ∞ ∆h i.e. (h1 – h2) and Q ∞ 1/L
(h1 – h2)
Q = KA
L

K has the dimensions of length / time i.e. V

Q is volume / time
Q Q
K= as
=V
A (∂ɦ / ∂ℓ) A

V m/day
Hence K = = m/day
∂ɦ / ∂ℓ m/m
Darcy’s data for two different sands

Figure from Hornberger et al. (1998)

Range in hydraulic conductivity (K)
13 orders of magnitude
Figure from Hornberger et al. (1998)
 HYDRAULIC CONDUCTIVITY (K)
A medium has a unit K, if it will
transmit in a unit time, a unit volume of
groundwater under a prevailing
dynamic viscosity through a cross
sectional unit area under a unit
hydraulic gradient.
V
K = (m/day)
∂ɦ / ∂ℓ
 Hydraulic Conductivity
K -Range (m/day) Material Description
Very High Clean gravel, vesicular basalt, cavernous
(104 – 103) limestone

High Clean sand, sandy gravel, clean sandstone,

(103 – 101) fractured rocks

Moderate
(101 – 10-2)
Fine sand, silty clay, laminated sandstone,
Low shale, mudstone
(10-2 – 10-4)

Very Low Massive clay, massive igneous rocks

(>10-4)
 TRANSMISSIBILITY (T)

Rate at which water is transmitted through a

unit width of aquifer under a unit hydraulic
gradient.

T=Kxb (m2/day)
 INTRINSIC PERMEABILITY (KI)

Intrinsic permeability, symbolically represented as ki , is

defined being the material ability to transmit fluids.

Kxη
Ki = Mili darcy
ρxg

where K – hydraulic conductivity

η – dynamic viscosity
ρ – fluid density
g – gravitation constant
 Ranges of Common Intrinsic Permeabilities
These values do not depend on the fluid properties; see the table derived from the same
source for values of Hydraulic Conductivity, which are specific to the material through
which the fluid is flowing. (Source: modified from Bear, 1972)

Permeabi
Pervious Semi-Pervious Impervious
lity

Unconso-
lidated Well Well Sorted
Very Fine Sand, Silt,
Sand Sorted Sand or Sand & ----
& Loess, Loam
Gravel
Gravel Gravel

Unconso-
lidated
---- Peat Layered Clay Un-weathered Clay
Clay &
Organic

Fresh
Consolid
Fresh Limestone
-ated Highly Fractured Rocks Oil Reservoir Rocks Fresh Granite
Sandstone &
Rocks
Dolomite
κ (cm2) 0.001 0.0001 10−5 10−6 10−7 10−8 10−9 10−10 10−11 10−12 10−13 10−14 10−15

k (millidarcy) 10+8 10+7 10+6 10+5 10,000 1,000 100 10 1 0.1 0.01 0.001 0.0001
22
 Thank you

Any Question?
Figure from Hornberger et al. (1998)
q = Q/A
q is a vector h
qx   Kx
x
z

h
qy   K y
y
q
qz 2
z
h
x
qz   Kz
x z
qx 1

In general: Kz < Kx, Ky

q = - K grad h
h
qx   Kx
x

h
qy   Ky
y

h
qz   Kz
z
Vector Form of Darcy’s Law

q = - K grad h
q = specific discharge (L/T)
K = hydraulic conductivity (L/T)
grad h = hydraulic gradient (L/L)
h = head (L)
 q = - K grad h
q is a vector with 3 components

h is a scalar

K is a tensor with 9 components

(three of which are Kx, Ky, Kz)
Scalar Magnitude Head, concentration,
1 component temperature

Vector Magnitude and Specific discharge,

3 components direction (velocity, mass flux, heat
flux)

Tensor Magnitude, Hydraulic conductivity,

9 components direction and Dispersion coefficient,
magnitude thermal conductivity
changing with
direction
 Darcy’s law

q = - K grad h

q equipotential line

grad h q grad h

Isotropic Anisotropic
Kx = Ky = Kz = K Kx, Ky, Kz
Representative Elementary Volume
(REV)

REV

q = - K grad h
Equivalent Porous Medium
(epm)
 Law of Mass Balance + Darcy’s Law=
Governing Equation for Groundwater Flow
---------------------------------------------------------------

div q = - Ss (h t) +R* (Law of Mass Balance)

q = - K grad h (Darcy’s Law)

div (K grad h) = Ss (h t) –R*

Water balance equation
Steady State Water Balance Equation
Inflow = Outflow
Recharge

Discharge

Transient Water Balance Equation

Inflow = Outflow +/- Change in Storage
Outflow - Inflow = Change in Storage