Laboratory simulation of groundwater hydraulic head in a karst aquifer system with conduit and fracture domains

A karst analog model has been developed for simulating karst aquifer systems with fracture and conduit domains in the laboratory. In this study, sixty-four experiments under different recharging and discharging conditions were carried out with the analog setup to study flow in the karst analog model. The experiments did not only provide hydraulic head data but spring discharge process as well. The experimental results were used to obtain empirical models of water hydraulic head under different hydrological conditions, which together with the spring discharge analysis aided in developing a water hydraulic head prediction model for the analog model. The results showed that water hydraulic head increased with logarithm of time and declined in step-shaped style, which can be used in karst aquifer systems research. Consequently, the study provides useful information for a better understanding of flow in karst aquifer systems.