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ANALYTICAL SOLUTION TO SATURATED FLOW IN A FINITE STRATIFIED AQUIFER
Citation:
Yates, S. ANALYTICAL SOLUTION TO SATURATED FLOW IN A FINITE STRATIFIED AQUIFER. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/J-88/030 (NTIS PB88224944), 1988.
Description:
An analytical solution for the flow of water in a saturated-stratified aquitard-aquifer-aquitard system of finite length is presented. The analytical solution assumes one-dimensional horizontal flow in the aquifer and two-dimensional flow in the aquitards. Several examples are given which describe the use of the analytical solution. The horizontal flow assumption in the aquifer appears to be approximately valid when the hydraulic conductivity of the aquitards is less than or equal to about 10 percent of the aquifer value. A comparison is made between the analytical solution and a saturated-unsaturated finite-element solution for a situation where the upper layer is both saturated and unsaturated. For the situation investigated, the comparison indicates that the analytical solution provides an alternative to numerical models even when the upper layer is partially saturated.