Laboratory Permeability Measurement
Summary
Prepare students in permeability measurement methods commonly used by envirionmental consulting groups. In this activity, participants learn how to prepare samples, set up tests, and interpret data for permeameters.
Learning Goals
- Obtain hands-on, practical experience of field data acquisition using appropriate instrumentation.
- Experience the ground-water investigation process from field data collection to hand and computational data analysis and final interpretation.
- Become better prepared for environmental employment.
Context for Use
This is the fifth of nine one-week exercises designed for a senior-level undergraduate lecture/lab hydrogeology course.
Description and Teaching Materials
The following equipment is required:
- Constant-head and falling-head permeameters
- Consolidated (solid rock) and/or unconsolidated (sediment) samples
Teaching Notes and Tips
Go over Darcy's law with the students before the lab so they are more comfortable calculating permeability from the test results.
Assessment
The author is seeking feedback from companies that hire students that have gone through the course that this activity is from to see if this training provides a positive impact on job performance.
References and Resources
The activity is from the following article:
See the other eight related activities derived from this article:
- Lee, 1998, Hands-On Laboratory Exercises for an Undergraduate Hydrogeology Course. Journal of Geoscience Education v. 46, p. 433. Contact the author to request furthur details and copies of the laboratory exercises.
See the other eight related activities derived from this article: