Laboratory study on the recharge efficiency of infiltration basin

The rectangle, square, triangle and circle are commonly used as the shape of infiltration basin. In this paper, influence of the shape of infiltration basin with the same area on recharge efficiency was studied through numerous simulations using the sand-box model. The hydraulic heads of groundwater were obtained within the domain of flow field. The recharge efficiency of different shapes was analyzed by comparing the groundwater head distribution, the total volume of recharge and the instantaneous infiltration capacity. The results indicate that the recharge efficiency changes with the shape of infiltration basin. The triangular recharge basin has the highest recharge efficiency attributing to its maximum perimeter, followed by the rectangular, square and circular recharge basin. The recharge efficiency apparently increases with the perimeter of the cross section under the condition of the same area.