The-Bao Nguyen

Slug Test Analysis to Evaluate Permeability of Compressible Materials

The line-fitting methods such as the Hvorslev method and the Bouwer and Rice method provide a rapid and simple means to analyze slug test data for estimating in situ hydraulic conductivity (k) of geologic materials. However, when analyzing a slug test in a relatively compressible geologic formation, these conventional methods may have difficulties fitting a straight line to the semilogarithmic plot of the test data. Data from relatively compressible geologic formations frequently show a concave-upward curvature because of the effect of the compressibility or specific storage (S(s)). To take into account the compressibility of geologic formations, a modified line-fitting method is introduced, which expands on Chirlins (1989) approach to the case of a partially penetrating well with the basic-time-lag fitting method. A case study for a compressible till is made to verify the proposed method by comparing the results from the proposed methods with those obtained using a type-curve method (Kansas Geological Survey method [Hyder et al. 1994]).

Slug Test Analysis in Vertical Cutoff Walls with Consideration of Filter Cake

In constructing a vertical cutoff wall, bentonite-water slurry is frequently used to maintain the stability of sidewalls during excavation before backfilling the trench with less permeable materials to complete the cutoff wall construction. This procedure leads to a thin but relatively impermeable layer, called a filter cake, on the excavation surface. The aim of this paper is to examine the effect of a filter cake on evaluating hydraulic conductivity of the cutoff wall backfill through a slug test analysis with the aid of the verified numerical program, Slug_3D. As an upper bound solution for evaluation of the hydraulic conductivity of the cutoff wall backfill, no-flux boundary conditions for the boundaries of cutoff walls are imposed to consider the effect of filter cakes. The type-curve method and modified line-fitting method are employed to reanalyze the case of EMCON/OWT, Inc., as an example. The previous analysis, without consideration of a filter cake, is compared with the current results that cons...

Modification of the Bouwer and Rice method to a cutoff wall with a filter cake.

The Bouwer and Rice method is a line-fitting method used to estimate the hydraulic conductivity of an aquifer by means of a slug test. When considering a relatively impermeable layer, called a filter cake, which may form at the interface between a cutoff wall and the natural soil formation, the assumptions of the Bouwer and Rice method are violated. A modification of the Bouwer and Rice method is proposed that incorporates the concept of a flow net, whereby the geometry of the cutoff wall and filter cake is effectively considered in estimating the hydraulic conductivity of a vertical cutoff wall.

Hydraulic characteristics of bentonite cake fabricated on cutoff walls

Bentonite cake is usually formed on the excavated trench surface that is supported by the bentonite slurry during construction of slurry cutoff walls. The lower hydraulic conductivity of bentonite cakes formed during construction of slurry cutoff walls in comparison to backfill materials provides an additional benefit. In the present study, the hydraulic conductivities of bentonite cakes made using three different bentonites were estimated using the modified fluid-loss test under various pressures. Both the hydraulic conductivities of bentonite cakes and cutoff-wall backfill are important in evaluating the in situ hydraulic performance of slurry cutoff-wall construction. Three bentonite slurry concentrations of 4, 6, and 8% were used to fabricate bentonite cakes that represent common field conditions. X-ray diffraction, cation exchange capacity, and swell-index data were collected to characterize the bentonites. Two modified methods for analyzing fluid-loss test results were used to estimate bentonite cake hydraulic conductivities. In addition, the viscosity as a function of time was measured to explain the sealing capacities of the bentonite slurries. The bentonite-cake hydraulic conductivities ranged from 2.15×10−11 m/s to 2.88×10−10 m/s, which were 10 to 500 times lower than the cutoff wall backfill design. Experimental results for 4 and 6% bentonite slurries were relatively similar, but the 8% slurries were noticeably different. Calculated bentonite-cake thickness and stress distribution indicated that the local void ratio and hydraulic conductivity may vary across the cake thickness. The considerably lower bentonite-cake hydraulic conductivities compared to the cutoff wall backfill design show its significance in slurry cutoff-wall construction practices.

Hydraulic Conductivity Evaluation of Vertical Cutoff Walls Bearing Filter Cake From Slug Test Analysis

The hydraulic conductivity of a vertical cutoff wall can be estimated through a slug test analysis. A filter cake is a thin and impervious layer formed on the interface between the vertical cutoff wall and the natural soil formation. The conventional line-fitting methods for a slug test analysis have never considered the presence of the filter cake. Therefore, results of a slug test analysis using the line-fitting methods for the vertical cutoff wall is believed to be inaccurate due to the effect of the filter cake. In this study, the hydraulic conductivity of the filter cake was evaluated using a modified fluid loss test. The result of the test indicated that a very low hydraulic conductivity is an important characteristic of the filter cake. The slug test analysis with the consideration of the filter cake in the line-fitting method was then employed to estimate the hydraulic conductivity of the cutoff wall in a case study. Result of the case study proves the significance of the filter cake in the estimation of the hydraulic conductivity of a vertical cutoff wall through a slug test.

Effect of Real Bentonite Cake on Slug Test Analysis for Slurry Trench Wall

The slug test is a viable method in estimating the hydraulic conductivity of the slurry trench wall backfill because of its ability to consider a more representative volume of the backfill and to reflect the in situ performance of the construction. A three-dimensional numerical model is developed to simulate the slug test in a slurry trench wall with the presence of bentonite cake on the interface boundary between the wall and the surrounding soil formation. Influential factors such as wall width (i.e., proximity of wall boundary), well deviation, vertical position of the well intake section, and compressibility of the wall backfill are taken into account in the model. The experimentally obtained hydraulic properties of the bentonite cake are also incorporated in a series of slug test simulations. The simulation results are then examined to evaluate the bentonite cake effect in analyzing practical slug test results in the slurry trench wall. The simulation results show that the modified line-fitting method can be used without any reduction factor for the slug test in the slurry trench wall with the presence of bentonite cake. A case study is reanalyzed with the assumption of existing bentonite cake. The results are compared with the previously reported results by the approaches used for the case of no bentonite cake (constant-head boundary) and upper-bound solution (no-flux boundary). The modified line-fitting method and the type curve method produce similar results for slurry walls with bentonite cakes. The case study results demonstrate the importance of the bentonite cake effect in estimating the hydraulic conductivity of the slurry wall backfill.

LINEAR CURVE FITTING METHODS FOR ANALYZING SLUG TESTS IN COMPRESSIBLE AQUIFER

The linear curve fitting methods such as the Hvorslev method and the Bouwer and Rice method provide a rapid and simple means to analyze slug test data for estimating in-situ hydraulic conductivity ( k ) of geologic material. However, when analyzing a slug test in a relatively compressible aquifer, these methods have difficulties to fit a straight line to the semi-logarithmic plot of the test data that shows a concave-upward curvature because the linear curve fitting methods ignore the role of the compressibility or specific storage ( S s ) of an aquifer. The comparison of the Hvorslev method and the Bouwer and Rice method is made for a partially-penetrating well geometry to show analytically that the Hvorslev method estimates higher hydraulic conductivity than the Bouwer and Rice method except that the well intake section locates very close to the bottom of the aquifer. The effect of fitting a straight line to the slug test data is evaluated along with the dimensionless compressibility parameter (α) ranging from 0.001 to 1.