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Experimental Study of Airflow Induced by Pumping Tests in Unconfined Aquifer with Low-Permeability Cap

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Abstract

The airflow in unsaturated soils is an issue of great importance in various fields such as in agricultural, nuclear, environmental engineering. However, up to now, little attention was paid to the generation of the airflow induced by a pumping test in an unconfined aquifer with a low-permeability cap and its influence on the pumping test. In this paper, pumping tests were carried out experimentally in the aquifer with a low-permeability cap in order to study the influence of the airflow induced by the pumping on the drawdown of the tests. It is shown that: (1) there is an airflow with negative pressure generated by the pumping tests, (2) the Negative air Pressure (NP) is increased with the pumping rate but decreased with the radial distance, and (3) the NP also changes with the initial water table. The results provide a good basis for further theoretical study of the airflow induced by pumping.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, 230009, China

    Hui Huang, Jia-zhong Qian, Zhou Chen & Ru-zhong Li

  2. Department of Earth Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Xing-xing Kuang

Authors
  1. Hui Huang
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  2. Jia-zhong Qian
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  3. Xing-xing Kuang
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  4. Zhou Chen
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  5. Ru-zhong Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jia-zhong Qian.

Additional information

Project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 40872166, 51179042), the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China (Grant No. HKU7019080P).

Biography: HUANG Hui (1989-), Female, Master Candidate

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Huang, H., Qian, Jz., Kuang, Xx. et al. Experimental Study of Airflow Induced by Pumping Tests in Unconfined Aquifer with Low-Permeability Cap. J Hydrodyn 24, 605–608 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-6058(11)60283-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1001-6058(11)60283-7

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