The reliability of packer tests for estimating the hydraulic conductivity of aquifers

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Abstract
Summary: This paper investigates the suitability of the double packer testing technique when it is used to estimate how the hydraulic conductivity of an aquifer varies with depth. A mathematical model of the radial and vertical flow from a borehole in a typical aquifer is devised and used to investigate the nature of flow in the aquifer due to the injection of water between two packers. It is shown that the existing formulae usually provide adequate estimates for zones of both high and low hydraulic conductivity. Other features that are considered include the effect of the length of fissures, the presence of boundaries, the possibility of water flowing around the packers, the length and spacing of the packers and the influence of the free water surface.