First status report on regional groundwater flow modeling for the Palo Duro Basin, Texas

Technical Report · Sat Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6088963

Andrews, R W

Regional groundwater flow within the principal hydrogeological units of the Palo Duro Basin is evaluated by developing a conceptual model of the flow regime in the shallow aquifers and the deep-basin brine aquifers and testing these models using a three-dimensional, finite-difference flow code. Semiquantitative sensitivity analysis (a limited parametric study) is conducted to define the system response to changes in hydrologic properties or boundary conditions. Adjoint sensitivity analysis is applied to the conceptualized flow regime in the Wolfcamp carbonate aquifer. All steps leading to the final results and conclusions are incorporated in this report. The available data utilized in this study are summarized. The specific conceptual models, defining the areal and vertical averaging of lithologic units, aquifer properties, fluid properties, and hydrologic boundary conditions, are described in detail. The results are delineated by the simulated potentiometric surfaces and tables summarizing areal and vertical boundary fluxes, Darcy velocities at specific points, and groundwater travel paths. Results from the adjoint sensitivity analysis included importance functions and sensitivity coefficients, using heads or the average Darcy velocities as the performance measures. The reported work is the first stage of an ongoing evaluation of two areas within the Palo Duro Basin as potantial repositories for high-level radioactive wastes. The results and conclusions should thus be considered preliminary and subject to modification with the collection of additional data. However, this report does provide a useful basis for describing the sensitivity and, to a lesser extent, the uncertainty of the present conceptualization of groundwater flow within the Palo Duro Basin.

• Research Organization: INTERA Technologies, Inc., Houston, TX (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-83CH10140
• OSTI ID: 6088963
• Report Number(s): BMI/ONWI-504; ON: DE85007490
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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FEDERAL REGION VI
FLOW MODELS
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROLOGY
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