Three-dimensional saturated-unsaturated flow to a well in an alluvial fan wedge-shaped aquifer

IF 4 2区环境科学与生态学 Q1 WATER RESOURCES

Advances in Water Resources Pub Date : 2025-02-01 DOI:10.1016/j.advwatres.2025.104901

Mohammad M. Sedghi , Hongbin Zhan

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Alluvial fan aquifers are among the most productive aquifers around the world. At present, in mathematical models of these types of aquifers, the unsaturated flow is usually neglected, and the instantaneous or delayed drainage boundary conditions are considered at the water table. The goal of this work is to present an analytical model of the drawdown due to a partially penetrating well in an unconfined alluvial fan aquifer by considering the unsaturated flow. The linearized version of Richards equation is solved to simulate the unsaturated flow. The solution is obtained via Laplace and Fourier transformations and the principle of superposition. The anisotropy of both saturated and unsaturated zones of the aquifer, the pore size distribution of the unsaturated zone and the compressible storage of the saturated zone are considered. The effect of geometrical parameters of the alluvial fan aquifer and hydraulic parameters of the unsaturated zone on the deviation of the proposed saturated-unsaturated flow solution from its saturated flow counterpart are investigated. The presented model shows that the unsaturated flow should not be neglected, especially in low-angle wedge alluvial fan aquifers and near the alluvial fan apex. The presented solution can be utilized to predict the drawdown due to pumping in alluvial fan aquifers, to determine the hydrogeological conditions under which the unsaturated flow may be neglected; to evaluate the sensitivity of the dimensionless drawdown to hydraulic and geometric parameters of the unsaturated zone; to improve the estimated aquifer parameters by coupling the proposed model to a parameter estimation code.

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来源期刊

Advances in Water Resources 环境科学-水资源

CiteScore

9.40

自引率

6.40%

发文量

171

审稿时长

36 days

期刊介绍： Advances in Water Resources provides a forum for the presentation of fundamental scientific advances in the understanding of water resources systems. The scope of Advances in Water Resources includes any combination of theoretical, computational, and experimental approaches used to advance fundamental understanding of surface or subsurface water resources systems or the interaction of these systems with the atmosphere, geosphere, biosphere, and human societies. Manuscripts involving case studies that do not attempt to reach broader conclusions, research on engineering design, applied hydraulics, or water quality and treatment, as well as applications of existing knowledge that do not advance fundamental understanding of hydrological processes, are not appropriate for Advances in Water Resources. Examples of appropriate topical areas that will be considered include the following: • Surface and subsurface hydrology • Hydrometeorology • Environmental fluid dynamics • Ecohydrology and ecohydrodynamics • Multiphase transport phenomena in porous media • Fluid flow and species transport and reaction processes