Seismic refraction tomography is an alternative to conventional seismic refraction analysis methods. While the limitations and potential pitfalls of conventional refraction methods are wellknown the same is not true for refraction tomography. As refraction tomography becomes more widely used, the need to know and understand its capabilities as well as its limitations becomes more critical. In this study we created eight representative models for use in evaluating three commercially available codes as well as refraction tomography in general. These models range from simple two-layer or dipping-layer problems to more complicated models designed to represent features of karst terrains. We demonstrate quantitatively and qualitatively that all three codes perform at a similar level, although each has strengths and weaknesses. Refraction tomography performs well in many situations where conventional methods fail, e.g., where lateral or vertical gradients compose a significant component of the velocity structure.

Borehole flowmeters that measure horizontal flow velocity and direction of groundwater flow are being increasingly applied to a wide variety of environmental problems. This study was carried out to evaluate the measurement accuracy of several types of flowmeters in an unconsolidated aquifer simulator. Flowmeter response to hydraulic gradient, aquifer properties, and well‐screen construction was measured during 2003 and 2005 at the U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. The flowmeters tested included a commercially available heat‐pulse flowmeter, an acoustic Doppler flowmeter, a scanning colloidal borescope flowmeter, and a fluid‐conductivity logging system. Results of the study indicated that at least one flowmeter was capable of measuring borehole flow velocity and direction in most simulated conditions. The mean error in direction measurements ranged from 15.1° to 23.5° and the directional accuracy of all tested flowmeters improved with increasing hydraulic gradient. The range of Darcy velocities examined in this study ranged 4.3 to 155 ft/d. For many plots comparing the simulated and measured Darcy velocity, the squared correlation coefficient (r2) exceeded 0.92. The accuracy of velocity measurements varied with well construction and velocity magnitude. The use of horizontal flowmeters in environmental studies appears promising but applications may require more than one type of flowmeter to span the range of conditions encountered in the field. Interpreting flowmeter data from field settings may be complicated by geologic heterogeneity, preferential flow, vertical flow, constricted screen openings, and nonoptimal screen orientation.

This paper reports on experiments and simulations of subsurface flow from a slotted acrylic tube deployed in a sand-tank flow chamber for two different purposes. In the first instance, the slotted tube is used to represent a single fracture intersected by an uncased well. In the second instance, the slotted tube is used to represent a multislot well screen within a porous medium. In both cases, the scanning colloidal borescope flowmeter (SCBFM) measures ground water velocity within the well by imaging colloids traveling through a well to measure their speed and direction. Measurements are compared against model simulations. For the case of a slotted tube representing a single fracture, SCBFM and model results agree with respect to the flow direction and to within a factor of 1.5 for the speed near the well's center. Model and experimental agreement lend confidence that for an uncased well drilled in a fractured-rock medium, a calibrated SCBFM could be used to identify and quantify flowing features. Next, the SCBFM was deployed in a four-column multislotted casing with slots aligned with the flow direction. Another numerical model was developed to estimate the flow field within this well screen to evaluate the potential usefulness of employing the SCBFM in a screened well to estimate flow speed and direction in the surrounding porous medium. Results indicate that if the slots are not aligned with the flow, the SCBFM may only provide order-of-magnitude speed measurements and direction measurements with an uncertainty of approximately +/-25 degrees .