Hydraulic Conductivity and Scale Effects Investigation in Basalt in the Dam Area of Xiluodu Hydroelectric Station, Jinshajiang River, China

Abstract

Hydraulic conductivity (K) and scale effects in basalt in the dam area of Xiluodu hydroelectric station were investigated by three kinds of field hydraulic tests with different test scale, 2608 water pressure tests in single borehole, 54 water seepage tests in adit and groundwater tracer test. Statistical results show the high heterogeneity of fractured rock and K difference between two neighboring test intervals are often more than two orders of magnitude. However, there is a strong decreasing trend of hydraulic conductivity with the increase of vertical depth. Moreover, these three kinds of hydraulic test results demonstrate that hydraulic conductivity increases with the increase of test scale in heterogeneous basalt and the heterogeneous degree of K decreases with the increase of test scale. K from water seepage test in adit, with the test scale of 1-2 m, is dispersed from 0.00024 m/d to 3.46 m/d. K from water pressure test in single borehole, with the test scale of 4-7 m, is 0.0002-1.04 m/d. K from groundwater tracer test, with the test scale of 70-145 m, is concentrated between 0.46 m/d and 2.1 m/d. High heterogeneity of fractured rock and multi-level of fractures are thought as the major reason resulted in scale effects of hydraulic conductivity.