Method for designing a drainage well network pattern and conceiving same

Abstract

The present disclosure concerns a method for designing a drainage well network pattern for soil liquid drainage and constructing same. The method comprises performing a preliminary soil characterization in a selected area to be drained, wherein the preliminary characterization includes soil measurements sampled from the soil in the selected area at different locations thereof, and wherein the soil measurements include saturated hydraulic conductivity and one of soil total porosity, bulk density, air-filled porosity and gas diffusion measurements at different depths of the soil in the selected area; and using the preliminary soil characterization, generating the drainage well network pattern, including determining parameters of drainage wells to be constructed including a spatial distribution, a depth and a radius of the drainage wells to improve at least one of water table drawdown, capillary rise and surface aeration.

1 . A method for designing a drainage well network pattern for soil liquid drainage and constructing same, the method comprising:
 performing a preliminary soil characterization in a selected area to be drained, wherein the preliminary soil characterization includes at least one soil measurement sampled from the soil in the selected area at least at one sampling point location thereof, and wherein the at least one soil measurement includes saturated hydraulic conductivity and one of soil total porosity, bulk density, air-filled porosity and gas diffusion measurements at least at one depth of the soil in the selected area; and   using a result of the preliminary soil characterization, generating the drainage well network pattern, including determining parameters of drainage wells to be constructed including a spatial distribution and determining parameters of drainage depth and radius of the drainage wells.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one soil measurement of the preliminary soil characterization includes a plurality of soil measurements sampled from the soil in the selected area at different sampling point locations thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising drilling a plurality of holes into the soil of the selected area based on the generated drainage well network pattern. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one soil measurement of the preliminary soil characterization includes a pH measurement. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein using a result of the preliminary soil characterization to generate the drainage well network pattern further includes determining a particulate material for filling at least one of the drainage wells and filling at least one of the plurality of drilled holes with the determined particulate material. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the particulate material has a granulometry in a range of about 0.10 mm to about 20 mm. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the particulate material has a composition comprising soil particulate and organic matter, and wherein a concentration of the organic matter in the particulate material is of about 15 volume per volume to about 100 volume per volume. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 5 , further comprising gathering at least a portion of the particulate material within a distance of about 50 km of each of the plurality of drilled holes. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the concentration of the organic matter in the particulate material is of about 50 volume per volume to about 100 volume per volume when the soil particulate includes a soil having at least about 30 volume per volume of clay content. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the determining parameters of drainage wells and the determining of the particulate material comprises determining the parameters of the drainage wells and the composition of the particulate material to maintain a minimum gas diffusion of 0.03 in the selected area. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the organic matter of the particulate material comprises at least one of plant seeds and plant cuttings. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising providing a pre-filled log including a tubular sheath having a membrane wall defining a core comprising the organic matter of the particulate material; and further comprising filling the at least one drainage wells by inserting the pre-filled log into the plurality of holes. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the membrane wall of the tubular sheath comprises a natural fiber netting. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the membrane wall of the tubular sheath comprises a rigid or semi-rigid mesh. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein using a result of the preliminary soil characterization to generate the drainage well network pattern further includes determining a soil additive mixture for filling at least one of the drainage wells and promoting plant growth about the drainage wells, and wherein the soil mixture additive comprises at least one of a plant fertilizer and a soil conditioner. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the selected area has a heterogeneous soil having a plurality of substantially homogeneous soil strata, and wherein the spatial distribution of the drainage wells comprises a plurality of densities, each of the plurality of densities being adapted for a respective substantially homogeneous soil stratum. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the depth of the drainage wells is greater than a minimal depth and smaller than a maximal depth, wherein the minimal depth corresponds to a depth of a compacted layer in a soil profile at a respective location according to the spatial distribution, and wherein the maximal depth enables a capillary rise of soil liquid upwardly in the drainage wells. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein determining parameters of drainage wells to be constructed further includes a total volumetric dimension corresponding to an average rain runoff in the selected area. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising inserting an elongated sleeve in at least one of the drainage wells to stabilize peripheral walls thereof, and wherein an upper end of the elongated sleeve is located at a depth of at least 25 cm from the soil surface. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the elongated sleeve comprises metallic material detectable by metal proximity sensors.