Three‐Dimensional Geostatistical Inversion of Flowmeter and Pumping Test Data

We jointly invert field data of flowmeter and multiple pumping tests in fully screened wells to estimate hydraulic conductivity using a geostatistical method. We use the steady-state drawdowns of pumping tests and the discharge profiles of flowmeter tests as our data in the inference. The discharge profiles need not be converted to absolute hydraulic conductivities. Consequently, we do not need measurements of depth-averaged hydraulic conductivity at well locations. The flowmeter profiles contain information about relative vertical distributions of hydraulic conductivity, while drawdown measurements of pumping tests provide information about horizontal fluctuation of the depth-averaged hydraulic conductivity. We apply the method to data obtained at the Krauthausen test site of the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. The resulting estimate of our joint three-dimensional (3D) geostatistical inversion shows an improved 3D structure in comparison to the inversion of pumping test data only.

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