Methods Used to Determine

Hydraulic Conductivity
By
Josh Linard
 Background
Hydraulic Conductivity, K, is essential to
understanding flow through soils.
Darcys Law
Richards Equation
Advection-Dispersion-Equation
Soil characteristics that determine K
Particle size
Porosity
Bulk density
 More about K
K is a function of pressure or moisture
content
low matric potential = high moisture
content = high K
Want to know either
Saturated hydraulic conductivity, Ks, or
Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, K.
 Other considerations
What should the sample size be?
Where to conduct experiment?
How is the water applied?

Sample size
Contemporary soil core devices.
Representative Elementary Volume (REV).
 Experiment location
Field
Advantages
Soil is undisturbed.
Disadvantages
Cant control the environment.
Logistics.
Laboratory
Advantages
Highly controlled environment.
Disadvantages
Sample can be aggravated during transport.
Facilities
 Water Application
Ideally, the soil should be wetted from
the bottom up.
Should use a deaerated 0.005 M
CaSO4 solution to limit air retention.
What volume of water is required and
what volume is available.
 Determining Ks
Laboratory Methods
Constant head
Falling head
Field Methods
Test basins
Note: for each method.
good contact must be made at the lateral
boundaries of the core.
Evaporation must be measured.
 Constant Head Method
Wet the column from the bottom up.
Can be a problem depending on sample size.
Add water until its at the desired height.
Hydraulic gradient = 1 (Figure 10.1a)
Macropore collapse? Need a different gradient.
L y x H (Figure 10.1b)

L L

Capture the outflow, when its rate becomes

constant Ks is obtained.
Constant Head Apparatus
 L y x H

L L
L is length through the soil
y is the height of ponded water
x is the height of water required to lower
the gradient so that y can be maintained.
Note: if the gradient is 1 then Ks = q as
per Darcys Law.
 Falling Head Method
Wet the column from the bottom up.
Fill a burette to above the height of the soil
column and allow it to drain.
Drain until the rate of head loss is constant.
aL
H2 (Figure 11.1)
Ks log
A(t 2 t 1) H1
Falling Head Apparatus
 aL H 2
Ks log
A(t 2 t 1) H1

a is the cross-sectional area of the

burette
A is the cross-sectional area of the soil
column
t2 t1 is the time required for the head
to drop from H1 to H2.
 Test Basin Method
Isolate a column of soil
Usually much larger than a core to be used
in the laboratory.
Seal the lateral faces of the column
Ensure the column is saturated
Apply a constant head of water at rate P.
Obtain Ks using a mass balance
approach: I = P - E where, Ks is equal to I
since the soil is saturated.
 Ks Method Summary
The constant head method is used for
soil with a high Ks (> 0.001 cm/s).
The falling head method is used for
soils with lower Ks (10-3 - 10-6 cm/s).
Laboratory experiments can obtain Ks in
each dimension.
 Determining Unsaturated K
Field methods
Ring infiltrometer.
Laboratory methods
Instantaneous profile method.

Note: ensure that all instruments make

good contact with soil.
 Ring Infiltrometer
Used either in the field or laboratory.
Can use either one or two rings.
Scale dependent on ring size.
2 rings allows vertical K to be isolated.
Can measure K when the matric
potential, ym, is > 0.
When ym is 0 a surface crust of a known
potential can be used.
 Ring Infiltrometer Method

Isolate soil column as in other methods.

Place the infiltrometer on the soil,
ensuring good contact.
Water is ponded on the soil and the
infiltration rate recorded.
Unsaturated K is determined using the
Richards equation.
Ring Infiltrometer

Water Supply

Double Ring
Instantaneous Profile Method
Uses tensiometers and gamma ray
absorption to measure matric potential, f,
and moisture content, q, respectively.
Pond water until the outflow is constant
and then start the experiment when the
last of the water has entered the soil.
K is obtained using q f
K
t z z
 Instantaneous Profile Method
Tensiometers TDRs

Gamma
Ray Gamma Ray
Detector Emitter
 Unsaturated K Method
Summary
Ring infiltrometer
Different sample sizes require different
rings and sometimes infiltrometers.
Water can be hard to provide depending
on the sample size.
Have to ensure good contact with soil.
Instantaneous profile method
Expensive to operate and hard to set up.
Have to ensure good contact with the soil.
Conclusion/Recommendations

Methods described allow for determining

K in most settings.
Its hard to account for macropore flow.
There is no method for determining
horizontal K in situ.
Scales of measure are subject to criticism.