Field and laboratory analysis of water well design parameters

It is the goal of this research to establish fundamental principles of water well design. These principles have developed critical water well design parameters for four different types of aquifers; very coarse, coarse, medium and fine grained according to the Wentworth classification. With extensive laboratory testing utilizing the world's largest sand-tank well/aquifer model at the University of Southern California's Geohydrology Laboratory and field data from over 100 wells accompanied by 400 aquifer sieves, this research has developed a standard by which water wells can be designed.;The design of efficient water wells requires knowledge of various hydraulic factors that affect the major drawdown components of a well. Determining which design criteria are most applicable in a given aquifer will improve well efficiency and decrease energy usage which will then lead to a significant contribution to the ground water industry. A large cost to any well operator is the electrical cost of a well. A decline in specific capacity, well efficiency, and or lack of well development will increase this operational expense. Minimizing these turbulent flow losses can result in substantial cost savings over the lifetime of the well.;This research will aid engineers in developing more efficient water wells in various geohydrological settings. Its goal is to provide the largest production of water while maintaining the lowest operational costs for the well owners. This paper will design wells that are simple and strong while protecting our water resources.