Finite-element methods based on a transport velocity representation for groundwater motion.
article
Since the primary transport mechanism of pollutants and heat in a subsurface flow system is advection, accurate determination of the velocity of the carrier fluid percolating through the porous medium is extremely important. Computer‐based groundwater motion simulators conventionally use pressure as the primary variable, and after the pressure field is calculated, the velocity is determined by numerical differentiation. This paper presents an approach to a direct numerical solution of the transport velocity field. Evidence is provided to show that it is advantageous to base a finite‐element‐oriented simulator on a transport velocity representation (TVR) of Darcy's law. The computer code then requires less storage and fewer arithmetic operations than a pressure representation (PR) version of the same code, provided that the same accuracy for the transport velocity is required in both cases.
Topics
TNO Identifier
229722
ISSN
00431397
Source
Water Resources Research, 20(1), pp. 137-145.
Pages
137-145
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