Transporttidsmodellering vid provpumpning i heterogen jord
spårämnesförsök i en isälvsavlagring
GeohydrologyGroundwater modelingGeostatisticsStochastic modelingParticle trackingProtection zonesGlaciofluvial esker formationTracer experiment
When protection zones for wells are delineated, it is important to acquire good knowledge about possible travel time from different points in the catchment area to the well. Often, simple analytical methods are used for estimating travel times and the assumption is made that the hydraulic conductivity is relatively homogenous within the aquifer. Nevertheless, many aquifers are strongly heterogeneous which may lead to differences between estimates and actual travel times. As a part of the process to develop improved methods for delineating protection zones for groundwater supply wells, a tracer experiment was performed in a glaciofluvial esker formation in Järlåsa. On the basis of the experiment, a numerical flow model was created for the test site.The purpose of this master?s thesis was to apply the flow model to an aquifer where the hydraulic conductivity shows great variability and should be described by a stochastic distribution. The purpose was also to determine the statistical properties of the hydraulic conductivity and to simulate the transport times and their variation from different locations in the aquifer to the pumping well.The hydraulic conductivity was estimated from grain size distributions in soil samples that were taken at various locations within the test site. The analysis of the hydraulic conductivity showed a large variation and confirmed the hypothesis that the aquifer is heterogeneous. Using the statistics, a large number of stochastic conductivity fields were created and flow simulation was performed for each realization. From the simulation result, frequency distributions of the transport times were produced describing the probability for the transit time for a water particle between a certain location in the aquifer and the pumping well. A comparison with the tracer experiment shows higher simulated transport times implying the need for improved model calibration. The conclusion is that the method used in this project is suitable for glaciofluvial esker aquifers. When protection zones are delineated, stochastic modeling can be used to express the zone boundaries in statistical terms.