Horizontal and radial collector wells: simple tools for a complex problem

Sarah L Collins,Georg J Houben

doi:10.1007/s10040-020-02120-2

Abstract

The capture of groundwater by horizontal wells (HWs) is an old but often overlooked technique. Practically all modeling techniques available in groundwater hydrology have been applied to HWs. This work compares analytical models with field data and investigates the influence of nonuniform screen inflow. The usefulness of a vertical well approximation is studied. A new MATLAB application, HORI, is presented for common analytical models. Analytical methods are found to reproduce drawdown around two radial collector wells (RCWs). Beyond the direct vicinity of the caisson, in particular, drawdown around an RCW can be approximated with a vertical well model.

Highlights

The capture of groundwater by horizontally arranged screens is an old but often overlooked technique, as most textbooks focus on the much more common vertical wells
The focus here is radial collector wells (RCWs) pumping groundwater, many developments of horizontal well techniques and models come from the oil industry
Comparisons in the literature between analytical models of Horizontal wells (HWs)/RCWs and field data are limited, and, to the authors’ knowledge, there have been no comparisons of flowmeter data from inside an RCW with models

Summary

Introduction

The capture of groundwater by horizontally arranged screens is an old but often overlooked technique, as most textbooks focus on the much more common vertical wells. The focus here is RCWs pumping groundwater, many developments of horizontal well techniques and models come from the oil industry. RCWs are generally comprised of a vertical reinforced concrete shaft (caisson) with horizontal well screens (laterals) projected out into the aquifer (Fig. 1). Groundwater enters the well through the slots in the laterals and flows into the caisson, where one or more pumps are installed. Collector wells are often used to induce recharge from surface water bodies and are installed close to rivers (Fig. 1), in some cases with laterals that extend beneath the river

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