The application of surficial geophysics to well site exploration and wellhead protection in fracture controlled aquifers
- Layne GeoSciences, Inc., Mission Woods, KS (United States)
- Layne Northwest Company, Pewaukee, WI (United States)
Siting high capacity wells in fractured controlled aquifers is difficult due to the unpredictable distribution of relatively narrow fracture zones. Geophysical methods can be used to locate fracture zones and select favorable test well locations. Due to the expense of rock drilling, it is common to estimate the parameters of fractured aquifers without monitoring wells. Under these conditions, most interpreters assume an isotropic porous media equivalent. This can lead to serious errors in defining the ground water flow system. This paper presents two case histories that illustrate how surficial geophysical methods can be used to locate high capacity wells in fracture controlled areas. The cases also demonstrate how the properties of fractured aquifers can grossly deviate from isotropic porous media and the errors that can result from ignoring this fact. Geophysical methods can be used to predict the trend of the axis of maximum transmissivity in the aquifer, which can be used to efficiently site monitoring wells to accurately measure aquifer properties. Accurate measurements of anisotropy are critical for defining reasonable wellhead protection zones in fracture controlled aquifers.
- OSTI ID:
- 526132
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970344--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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