Water Level in Observation Wells Simulated From Fracture and Matrix Water Heads Outputted by Dual‐Continuum Hydrogeological Models: POWeR‐FADS

Abstract Do observation wells in fractured porous aquifers measure water head in the fracture network, water head in the matrix, or some combination of both? This question necessarily arises when calibrating dual‐continuum hydrogeological models against on‐field data. One can assume that observation...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: B. Jeannot, L. Schaper, F. Habets
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2023-07-01
Series:Water Resources Research
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR034652
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1839639735443652608
author B. Jeannot
L. Schaper
F. Habets
author_facet B. Jeannot
L. Schaper
F. Habets
author_sort B. Jeannot
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Do observation wells in fractured porous aquifers measure water head in the fracture network, water head in the matrix, or some combination of both? This question necessarily arises when calibrating dual‐continuum hydrogeological models against on‐field data. One can assume that observation wells measure fracture water head, because matrix permeability is negligible compared to fracture permeability. Nevertheless, this reasoning is invalid for wells poorly‐connected to the fractures. Yet, the possibility of such a poor connection at given depths has never been implemented in a physics‐based manner when comparing matrix and fracture water heads simulated by dual‐continuum models to on‐field data. To fill this knowledge gap, a physically based, easy to calibrate, open‐source postprocessing tool, POWeR‐FADS (Program for Observation Well Representation in Fractured Aquifer Dual‐continuum Simulations), available at https://github.com/BJeannot1/POWeR-FADS, has been developed. It introduces as parameters well geometry and the altitude of lowest interception of the fractures by the well. From these, POWeR‐FADS nonintrusively postprocesses time series of matrix and fracture water heads at the well, as simulated by any planar, bidimensional dual‐continuum hydrogeological model, to calculate water exchanges involving the observation well and thus the evolution of water level in the well. Synthetic test cases show that POWeR‐FADS makes it possible to simulate peculiar behaviors that are similar to patterns actually observed by the authors in on‐site observation wells of a fractured porous aquifer, like “floors” in observed water levels, delayed but sharp rises at the beginning of recharge events, or inflexion points accelerating the drawdown velocity during the recession phase.
format Article
id doaj-art-c75a59feff0c4e289319c01a13a13cf1
institution Matheson Library
issn 0043-1397
1944-7973
language English
publishDate 2023-07-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Water Resources Research
spelling doaj-art-c75a59feff0c4e289319c01a13a13cf12025-07-04T06:40:25ZengWileyWater Resources Research0043-13971944-79732023-07-01597n/an/a10.1029/2023WR034652Water Level in Observation Wells Simulated From Fracture and Matrix Water Heads Outputted by Dual‐Continuum Hydrogeological Models: POWeR‐FADSB. Jeannot0L. Schaper1F. Habets2Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives Direction des Applications Militaires Direction Île‐de‐France Arpajon FranceCommissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives Direction des Applications Militaires Direction Île‐de‐France Arpajon FranceCNRS UMR 8538 Laboratoire de Géologie École Normale Supérieure PSL Research University Paris FranceAbstract Do observation wells in fractured porous aquifers measure water head in the fracture network, water head in the matrix, or some combination of both? This question necessarily arises when calibrating dual‐continuum hydrogeological models against on‐field data. One can assume that observation wells measure fracture water head, because matrix permeability is negligible compared to fracture permeability. Nevertheless, this reasoning is invalid for wells poorly‐connected to the fractures. Yet, the possibility of such a poor connection at given depths has never been implemented in a physics‐based manner when comparing matrix and fracture water heads simulated by dual‐continuum models to on‐field data. To fill this knowledge gap, a physically based, easy to calibrate, open‐source postprocessing tool, POWeR‐FADS (Program for Observation Well Representation in Fractured Aquifer Dual‐continuum Simulations), available at https://github.com/BJeannot1/POWeR-FADS, has been developed. It introduces as parameters well geometry and the altitude of lowest interception of the fractures by the well. From these, POWeR‐FADS nonintrusively postprocesses time series of matrix and fracture water heads at the well, as simulated by any planar, bidimensional dual‐continuum hydrogeological model, to calculate water exchanges involving the observation well and thus the evolution of water level in the well. Synthetic test cases show that POWeR‐FADS makes it possible to simulate peculiar behaviors that are similar to patterns actually observed by the authors in on‐site observation wells of a fractured porous aquifer, like “floors” in observed water levels, delayed but sharp rises at the beginning of recharge events, or inflexion points accelerating the drawdown velocity during the recession phase.https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR034652observation welldual‐mediawellboredual‐porositydual‐permeabilityfractured
spellingShingle B. Jeannot
L. Schaper
F. Habets
Water Level in Observation Wells Simulated From Fracture and Matrix Water Heads Outputted by Dual‐Continuum Hydrogeological Models: POWeR‐FADS
Water Resources Research
observation well
dual‐media
wellbore
dual‐porosity
dual‐permeability
fractured
title Water Level in Observation Wells Simulated From Fracture and Matrix Water Heads Outputted by Dual‐Continuum Hydrogeological Models: POWeR‐FADS
title_full Water Level in Observation Wells Simulated From Fracture and Matrix Water Heads Outputted by Dual‐Continuum Hydrogeological Models: POWeR‐FADS
title_fullStr Water Level in Observation Wells Simulated From Fracture and Matrix Water Heads Outputted by Dual‐Continuum Hydrogeological Models: POWeR‐FADS
title_full_unstemmed Water Level in Observation Wells Simulated From Fracture and Matrix Water Heads Outputted by Dual‐Continuum Hydrogeological Models: POWeR‐FADS
title_short Water Level in Observation Wells Simulated From Fracture and Matrix Water Heads Outputted by Dual‐Continuum Hydrogeological Models: POWeR‐FADS
title_sort water level in observation wells simulated from fracture and matrix water heads outputted by dual continuum hydrogeological models power fads
topic observation well
dual‐media
wellbore
dual‐porosity
dual‐permeability
fractured
url https://doi.org/10.1029/2023WR034652
work_keys_str_mv AT bjeannot waterlevelinobservationwellssimulatedfromfractureandmatrixwaterheadsoutputtedbydualcontinuumhydrogeologicalmodelspowerfads
AT lschaper waterlevelinobservationwellssimulatedfromfractureandmatrixwaterheadsoutputtedbydualcontinuumhydrogeologicalmodelspowerfads
AT fhabets waterlevelinobservationwellssimulatedfromfractureandmatrixwaterheadsoutputtedbydualcontinuumhydrogeologicalmodelspowerfads