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A fully-automated apparatus for the determination of three types of hydraulic conductivity

Date

2008

Authors

Wietsma, T. W., author
Oostrom, M., author
Covert, M. A., author
Queen, T. E., author
Colorado State University, publisher

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Abstract

Knowledge of hydraulic properties, such as hydraulic conductivity and soil moisture retention, is crucial for understanding flow and contaminant transport in the subsurface. Hydraulic properties are often important input parameters for numerical simulation of flow and transport. Unfortunately, acquisition of these properties is usually time consuming and costly because of the manual labor associated with the currently available laboratory techniques. Lately, there has been increased interest in automating hydraulic conductivity laboratory techniques to reduce analysis time and improve data consistency. The newly designed fully automated Hydraulic Conductivity Apparatus (HCA), located in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, provides enhanced capabilities. The HCA is unique in that it is able to determine hydraulic conductivity with the falling head, constant head, and constant flux methods in a fully automated fashion. This paper demonstrates the new apparatus and presents hydraulic conductivity data for standard laboratory sands.

Description

2008 annual AGU hydrology days was held at Colorado State University on March 26 - March 28, 2008.
Includes bibliographical references.

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