The method of images revisited: Approximate solutions in wedge-shaped
aquifers of arbitrary angle
Abstract
This paper focuses on deriving new approximate analytical solutions in
wedge-shaped aquifers. The proposed methodology is applicable to any
type of aquifer namely, leaky, confined and unconfined, under both
steady state and transient flow conditions. By applying the method of
images and seperating the flow field into sections using physical
arguements, analytical expressions are obtained for the drawdown
function. In contrast to the conventional theory, the proposed solutions
are applicable to arbitrary wedge angle. Comparison of the results of
the derived approximate analytical solutions to numerical ones, is
considered necessary to ensure its validity. MODFLOW, a well-known
numerical tool is used to calculate the numerical results. The results
indicate that the boundary conditions are fully observed, the drawdown
is feasible to be calculated at any point of the real flow field
(continuity of the drawdown function) and discrepancies compared to
numerical results are considered negligible. The main advantage of the
proposed procedure is that it can be easily used in conjunction with
meta-heuristic algorithms to solve groundwater resources optimization
problems.