Review: Hydraulics of water wells—flow laws and influence of geometry

Water wells are an indispensable tool for groundwater extraction. The analytical and empirical approaches available to describe the flow of groundwater towards a well are summarized. Such flow involves a strong velocity increase, especially close to the well. The linear laminar Darcy approach is, therefore, not fully applicable in well hydraulics, as inertial and turbulent flow components occur close to and inside the well, respectively. For common well set-ups and hydraulic parameters, flow in the aquifer is linear laminar, non-linear laminar in the gravel pack, and turbulent in the screen and the well interior. The most commonly used parameter of well design is the entrance velocity. There is, however, considerable debate about which value from the literature should be used. The easiest way to control entrance velocity involves the well geometry. The influence of the diameter of the screen and borehole is smaller than that of the screen length. Minimizing partial penetration can help to curb head losses.