Analytical study of capture time to a horizontal well Academic Article

abstract

• We have investigated capture time through a horizontal well for several types of aquifers. We have studied two scenarios in which wells are at the middle and at the bottom (or the top) of an aquifer. We have obtained the closed-form analytical solutions of capture times for these two scenarios in homogeneous, confined aquifers for both isotropic and anisotropic cases. We have discussed the applicability and the limitation of the analytical solutions. The presence of confining boundaries in vertical direction constrains the vertical flow, but enhances the horizontal flow. The presence of anisotropy with a smaller vertical conductivity further limits the vertical flow and increases the horizontal flow. We have conducted numerical simulations to obtain capture times, and found that they were very close to the analytical solutions, given the same conditions. We have further analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of two different methods of simulating a horizontal well (uniform flux and uniform head).

authors

• Zhan, Hongbin

published proceedings

• JOURNAL OF HYDROLOGY

author list (cited authors)

• Zhan, H. B.

citation count

• 55

complete list of authors

• Zhan, HB

publication date

• April 1999

publisher

• Elsevier  Publisher

published in

• Journal of Hydrology  Journal

keywords

• Analytical Solution
• Capture Time
• Horizontal Well
• Numerical Simulation

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

• 10.1016/S0022-1694(99)00013-X

start page

• 46

end page

• 54

volume

• 217

issue

• 1-2

URL

• http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0022-1694(99)00013-x

user-defined tag

• 13 Climate Action