Rational Design of Well Screens

Design of well screens has been based on empirical considerations. Equations describing the hydraulics of flow of water into well screens from the aquifer are developed which take into account the characteristics of the screens and the aquifer. The validity of the theoretical equations has been verified experimentally. Velocity of water through the slots has been shown to vary from bottom to top of a screen in confined wells, the variation being more pronounced in the case of more pervious aquifers. Rational design criteria are put forward and easy-to-use curves for determination of well-screen losses are developed.