Interpretation of Step-Drawdown Tests with the Differential Evolution Approach

AbstractA step-drawdown test is a common hydrogeological investigation tool employed for identifying the hydraulic characteristics of an aquifer as well as assessing the efficiency of the pumping conditions. Several graphical and optimization-based solution techniques have been devised for analyzing...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of hydrologic engineering 2022-08, Vol.27 (8)
Main Authors: Çiftçi, Emin, Sahin, A. Ufuk
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accuracy
Algorithms
Aquifer testing
Aquifers
Civil engineering
Confined aquifers
Convergence
Datasets
Drawdown
Evolution
Evolutionary algorithms
Evolutionary computation
Geology
Hydrogeology
Hydrology
Inverse problems
Methods
Optimization
Parameter estimation
Search methods
Sensitivity analysis
Technical Papers
Tests
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:AbstractA step-drawdown test is a common hydrogeological investigation tool employed for identifying the hydraulic characteristics of an aquifer as well as assessing the efficiency of the pumping conditions. Several graphical and optimization-based solution techniques have been devised for analyzing data sets obtained from step-drawdown tests to retrieve aquifer and well loss parameters. This study aimed to introduce the use of a differential evolution (DE) algorithm as an alternative and practical option for interpretation of step-drawdown tests conducted in confined aquifers. The proposed estimation procedure was tested for a large number of synthetically generated noise-free and noisy data sets for evaluating its estimation performance. The DE search method exhibited superior accuracy with considerably higher convergence speed when compared with other competitive and widely used population-based algorithms. Sensitivity analysis was performed to explore the capability of the method in estimating each investigated variable. The DE algorithm was implemented for analyzing a real field data set as well, and it was able to produce parameter estimation results consistent with those reported in previous studies. As demonstrated in this study, the DE search method can be an eligible algorithm for solving inverse problems in the field of hydrogeology, regarding its accuracy, high convergence speed, robustness, and simplicity in coding.
ISSN:1084-0699
1943-5584
DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)HE.1943-5584.0002185