Aquifer storage and recovery systems using multiple partially penetrating wells (MPPW-ASR) can form a viable solution to the problem of freshwater buoyancy when using brackish aquifers for freshwater storage. This study presents the result of a series of laboratory experiments that aimed at visualizing the shape of freshwater bodies injected into a brackish aquifer and determining the effect on the recovery efficiency (RE) of several MPPW-ASR operational variables. A model aquifer was built in a Plexiglas tank using glass beads and water was injected and abstracted through point and vertical wells, which were operated in various combinations. Numerical models were used to support the interpretation of the time-lapse photographs, and showed that three-dimensional flow effects had to be considered for a correct interpretation of the visible dye patterns. Upward migration of both fresh (during injection) and brackish water (during recovery) along the vertical wells was observed, indicating that the role of well infrastructure as conduits is a critical design criterion for real-world systems. Gravitational instabilities formed when freshwater did not extend all the way to the top of the aquifer, and this negatively impacted the RE by causing greater mixing. The positive freshwater buoyancy led to freshwater bodies that became narrower with depth, and the formation of thin, elongated buffer zones along the aquifer top in multicycle experiments. Up-coning below abstraction wells resulted in lower RE values, reinforcing the potential of scavenger wells to enhance MPPW-ASR system performance.

使用多个部分穿透井 (MPPW-ASR) 的含水层储存和回收系统可以为使用微咸含水层储存淡水时淡水浮力问题形成可行的解决方案。本研究展示了一系列实验室实验的结果，这些实验旨在可视化注入微咸含水层的淡水体的形状，并确定几个 MPPW-ASR 操作变量对采收率 (RE) 的影响。使用玻璃珠在有机玻璃水箱中建造了一个模型含水层，并通过点井和垂直井注入和抽取水，这些井以各种组合方式运行。数值模型用于支持对延时照片的解释，并表明必须考虑三维流动效应才能正确解释可见染料图案。观察到新鲜水（注入期间）和咸水（恢复期间）沿垂直井向上迁移，表明井基础设施作为管道的作用是实际系统的关键设计标准。当淡水没有一直延伸到含水层顶部时，就会形成重力不稳定性，这会导致更大的混合，从而对可再生能源产生负面影响。正淡水浮力导致淡水体随着深度变窄，并在多循环实验中沿着含水层顶部形成细长的缓冲区。在抽水井下方向上锥进导致较低的 RE 值，