Nodal domain integration model of two-dimensional advection-diffusion processes

The nodal domain integration method is applied to a two-dimensional advection-diffusion process in an anisotropic inhomogeneous medium. The domain is discretised into the union of irregular triangle finite elements with vertex-located nodal points and a linear trial function is used to approximate the governing flow equation's state variable in each element. Non-linear parameters are assumed quasi-constant for small durations in time in each element. The resulting numerical model represents the Galerkin and subdomain integration weighted residual methods and the integrated finite difference method as special cases. Both Dirichlet and Neumann boundary conditions are accommodated in a manner similar to the Galerkin finite element approach.     

Nodal domain integration model of one-dimensional advection—diffusion

The nodal domain integration method is applied to a one-dimensional advection—diffusion mathematical model without a source term. Comparison of the resulting numerical model to the well known Galerkin finite element, subdomain, and finite difference domain models indicates that a single numerical statement can be developed which includes the Galerkin finite element, subdomain, and finite difference models as special cases.     

Numerical mass balance for soil-moisture transport problems

The Galerkin finite element method coupled with the Crank-Nicolson time advance procedure is often used as a numerical analog for unsaturated soil-moisture transport problems. The Crank-Nicolson procedure leads to numerical mass balance problems which results in instability. A new temporal and spatial integration procedure is proposed that exactly satisfies mass balance for the approximating function used. This is accomplished by fitting polynomials continuously throughout the time and space domain and integrating the governing differential equations. To reduce computational effort, the resulting higher order polynomials are reduced to quadratic and linear piece-wise continuous polynomial approximation functions analogous to the finite element approach. Results indicate a substantial improvement in accuracy over the combined Galerkin and Crank-Nicolson methods when comparing to simplified problems where analytical solutions are available.     

Finite element analysis of water flow in variably saturated soil

A two-dimensional Galerkin finite element model for water flow in variably saturated soil is presented. A fourth-order Runge-Kutta time integration method is employed which allows use of time steps at least 2 times greater than for a traditional finite difference approximation of time derivatives. For short total simulation times computer execution costs for the Runge-Kutta method are greater than for the finite difference approximation due to the start up cost of the Runge-Kutta method, but for longer simulation times the Runge-Kutta method requires considerably less computational effort even when automatic time-step adjustment is used with the finite difference procedure. A comparison of the method of influence coefficients and 2 × 2 Gaussian integration to compute element matrices indicates that the influence coefficient method reduces total execution time to 60% of that required for numerical quadrature. Computed pressure heads using the influence coefficient method and numerical integration are found to be in close agreement with each other even under conditions of highly non-linear soil properties in a heterogeneous domain. Fluxes computed by the two methods are also generally in close agreement except under extremely non-linear conditions when some deviations were observed at short simulation times.     

An improved formulation of the parabolic isoparametric element for explicit transient analysis

The difficulties encountered in the use of standard, Galerkin-type, parabolic isoparametric elements for explicit transient analysis are illustrated. These are associated with the mass lumping procedure as well as with incoherencies in the nodal loads induced by the element local field. To overcome these difficulties, it is suggested that the parabolic element equations be formulated by a weighted residual method in which the weighting functions are the usual serendipity functions modified by an appropriate bubble-shape function. It is shown that such a formulation enables all the shortcomings of the Galerkin approach to be overcome. An example problem indicates the extent of improvement in results that can be obtained by the proposed method.     

Direct Conservative Domain in the Continuous Galerkin Method for Groundwater Models

The continuous Galerkin finite element method is commonly considered locally nonconservative because a single element with fluxes computed directly from its potential distribution is unable to conserve its mass and fluxes across edges that are discontinuous. Some literature sources have demonstrated that the continuous Galerkin method can be locally conservative with postprocessed fluxes. This paper proposes the concept of a direct conservative domain (DCD), which could conserve mass when fluxes are computed directly from the potential distribution. Also presented here is a method for modifying the advection fluxes to obtain different conservative domains from the DCDs. Furthermore, DCDs are used to analyze the local conservation of several postprocessing algorithms, for which DCDs provide the theoretical basis. The local conservation of DCDs and the proposed method are illustrated and verified by using a hypothetical 2‐D model.     

A note on mass lumping and related processes in the finite element method

The general problem of mass lumping and related processes in the finite element method are discussed. A mass lumping scheme is presented for parabolic isoparametric elements. Examples are presented to show the good accuracy which can be obtained in linear and non-linear dynamic problems using the scheme.     

An efficient numerical model for multicomponent compressible flow in fractured porous media

An efficient and accurate numerical model for multicomponent compressible single-phase flow in fractured media is presented. The discrete-fracture approach is used to model the fractures where the fracture entities are described explicitly in the computational domain. We use the concept of cross flow equilibrium in the fractures. This will allow large matrix elements in the neighborhood of the fractures and considerable speed up of the algorithm. We use an implicit finite volume (FV) scheme to solve the species mass balance equation in the fractures. This step avoids the use of Courant–Freidricks–Levy (CFL) condition and contributes to significant speed up of the code. The hybrid mixed finite element method (MFE) is used to solve for the velocity in both the matrix and the fractures coupled with the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method to solve the species transport equations in the matrix. Four numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the robustness and efficiency of the proposed model. We show that the combination of the fracture cross-flow equilibrium and the implicit composition calculation in the fractures increase the computational speed 20–130 times in 2D. In 3D, one may expect even a higher computational efficiency.     

Finite element modelling for water waves-soil interaction

The soil permeability and shear modulus of many marine sediments vary with depth because of consolidation under overburden pressure. However, conventional theories for wave-induced soil response have assumed a homogeneous porous seabed, with constant soil permeability and shear modulus. This paper presents a finite element model for the wave-induced soil response in a porous seabed, with variable permeability and shear modulus as a function of burial depth. The soil matrix considered here is unsaturated and hydraulically anisotropic, and subjected to a three-dimensional short-crested wave system. The present finite element formulation is established by using a combination of semi-analytical techniques and the Galerkin method. The nodal effective stresses directly derived from the governing equations can be calculated accurately in the present model. Verification is available through the reduction to the simple case of homogeneous seabed. Three typical marine materials, course, fine sand and gravel, are considered in this study. The numerical results indicate that the soil permeability affects the wave-induced seabed response significantly especially for gravelled seabed, as does the soil shear modulus for sandy seabed.     

Coupling local discontinuous and continuous galerkin methods for flow problems

In this paper, we discuss the local discontinuous Galerkin (LDG) method applied to elliptic flow problems and give details on its implementation, focusing specifically on the case of piecewise linear approximating functions. The LDG method is one a family of discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods proposed for diffusion models. These DG methods allow for very general hp finite element meshes, and produce locally conservative fluxes which can be used in coupling flow with transport. The drawback to DG methods, when compared to their continuous counterparts, is the number of degrees of freedom required to compute the solution. This motivates a coupled approach, discussed herein, where the solution is allowed to be continuous or discontinuous on a node-by-node basis. This coupled approximation is locally conservative in regions where the numerical solution is discontinuous. Numerical results for fully discontinuous, continuous and coupled discontinuous/continuous solutions are given, where we compare solution accuracy, matrix condition numbers and mass balance errors for the various approaches.     

Coupled groundwater flow and transport: 1. Verification of variable density flow and transport models

This work examines variable density flow and corresponding solute transport in groundwater systems. Fluid dynamics of salty solutions with significant density variations are of increasing interest in many problems of subsurface hydrology. The mathematical model comprises a set of non-linear, coupled, partial differential equations to be solved for pressure/hydraulic head and mass fraction/concentration of the solute component. The governing equations and underlying assumptions are developed and discussed. The equation of solute mass conservation is formulated in terms of mass fraction and mass concentration. Different levels of the approximation of density variations in the mass balance equations are used for convection problems (e.g. the Boussinesq approximation and its extension, fully density approximation). The impact of these simplifications is studied by use of numerical modelling.Numerical models for nonlinear problems, such as density-driven convection, must be carefully verified in a particular series of tests. Standard benchmarks for proving variable density flow models are the Henry, Elder, and salt dome (HYDROCOIN level 1 case 5) problems. We studied these benchmarks using two finite element simulators - ROCKFLOW, which was developed at the Institute of Fluid Mechanics and Computer Applications in Civil Engineering and FEFLOW, which was developed at the Institute for Water Resources Planning and Systems Research Ltd. Although both simulators are based on the Galerkin finite element method, they differ in many approximation details such as temporal discretization (Crank-Nicolson vs predictor-corrector schemes), spatial discretization (triangular and quadrilateral elements), finite element basis functions (linear, bilinear, biquadratic), iteration schemes (Newton, Picard) and solvers (direct, iterative). The numerical analysis illustrates discretization effects and defects arising from the different levels of the density of approximation. We contribute new results for the salt dome problem, for which inconsistent findings exist in literature. Applications of the verified numerical models to more complex problems, such as thermohaline and three-dimensional convection systems, will be presented in the second part of this paper.     

深海热液硫化物矿体3D瞬变电磁正演

深海热液硫化物矿体瞬变电磁的正演是考虑深海环境的全空间条件下三维体的涡流电磁响应.采用全空间矢量有限元法模拟计算深海热液硫化物矿的三维瞬变电磁响应,对硫化物矿体采用矩形单元模型剖分,应用Galerkin法推导有限元方程,先计算频率域响应,再通过Fourier反变换将其转换至时间域,得出深海热液硫化物矿矿体的瞬变电磁响应.并用双半空间模型的解析解检验了全空间矢量有限元法模拟计算算法和程序的正确性,最后按照等比例缩小电磁物理实验原则,比对数值计算和物理实验结果论证了全空间3D模型数值的正确性.结果表明：对于海水、矿体以及围岩复杂电磁边界,应用全空间矢量有限元法模拟计算深海热液硫化物矿瞬变电磁响应异常与物理模拟结果一致,而且计算方法简单精确,异常幅值明显,边界清晰.     

Application of the discontinuous spectral Galerkin method to groundwater flow

The discontinuous spectral Galerkin method uses a finite-element discretization of the groundwater flow domain with basis functions of arbitrary order in each element. The independent choice of the basis functions in each element permits discontinuities in transmissivity in the flow domain. This formulation is shown to be of high order accuracy and particularly suitable for accurately calculating the flow field in porous media. Simulations are presented in terms of streamlines in a bidimensional aquifer, and compared with the solution calculated with a standard finite-element method and a mixed finite-element method. Numerical simulations show that the discontinuous spectral Galerkin approximation is more efficient than the standard finite-element method (in computing fluxes and streamlines/pathlines) for a given accuracy, and it is more accurate on a given grid. On the other hand the mixed finite-element method ensures the continuity of the fluxes at the cell boundaries and it is particular efficient in representing complicated flow fields with few mesh points. Simulations show that the mixed finite-element method is superior to the discontinuous spectral Galerkin method producing accurate streamlines even if few computational nodes are used. The application of the discontinuous Galerkin method is thus of interest in groundwater problems only when high order and extremely accurate solutions are needed.     

A computational model for coupled multiphysics processes of CO2 sequestration in fractured porous media

In this paper, a computational model for the simulation of coupled hydromechanical and electrokinetic flow in fractured porous media is introduced. Particular emphasis is placed on modeling CO₂ flow in a deformed, fractured geological formation and the associated electrokinetic flow. The governing field equations are derived based on the averaging theory and the double porosity model. They are solved numerically with a mixed discretization scheme, formulated on the basis of the standard Galerkin finite element method, the extended finite element method, the level-set method and the Petrov–Galerkin method. The standard Galerkin method is utilized to discretize the equilibrium and the diffusive dominant field equations, and the extended finite element method, together with the level-set method and the Petrov–Galerkin method, are utilized to discretize the advective dominant field equations. The level-set method is employed to trace the CO₂ plume front, and the extended finite element method is employed to model the high gradient in the saturation field front. The proposed mixed discretization scheme leads to a convergent system, giving a stable and effectively mesh-independent model. The accuracy and computational efficiency of the proposed model is evaluated by verification and numerical examples. Effects of the fracture spacing on the CO₂ flow and the streaming potential are discussed.     

Numerical modelling of suspended sediments

The turbulent advection-diffusion mathematical model in three-dimensional space is solved by a mixed finite element finite difference method. Linear finite elements in the vertical direction and central finite differences in the horizontal directions are used coupled with the Galerkin error minimization procedure. The integration in time is performed in fractional steps (one explicit one implicit) by splitting the differential operator. The method is illustrated by application to the three-dimensional movement of suspended sediment. Its accuracy is checked by comparison to analytical solutions and its efficiency is gauged relative to finite elements and implicit finite difference solutions for two-dimensional suspended sediment transport over a dredged channel.     

非混溶饱和两相渗流与孔隙介质耦合作用的理论研究——方程解耦与有限元公式

通过对上文（ Ｉ）所推证数学模型方程的进一步处理与简化,得到解耦的流场系统压力方程。以 Ｇａｌｅｒｋｉｎ 弱积分解的形式,给出模型方程数值分析的有限元公式,并进行了初步验证     

徐淮地区煤矿井筒破裂原因初探

本用震源力学理论和方法研究了徐淮地区从１９７０年以来构造应力场的方向和强度的时空变化过程。结果表明：以唐山地震为分界线，本区的应力场Ｐ轴取向由震前平均６１．８°变为震后平均７７．７°。如果将本区以宿北断裂为界分为南区和北区两个部分，则北区的Ｐ轴取向从６８．１°变７１．２°，而南区的Ｐ轴取向由６２．５°变到８３．６°，南区的变化明显于北区。     

Analysis of floodplain inundation using 2D nonlinear diffusive wave equation solved with splitting technique

In the paper a solution of two-dimensional (2D) nonlinear diffusive wave equation in a partially dry and wet domain is considered. The splitting technique which allows to reduce 2D problem into the sequence of one-dimensional (1D) problems is applied. The obtained 1D equations with regard to x and y are spatially discretized using the modified finite element method with the linear shape functions. The applied modification referring to the procedure of spatial integration leads to a more general algorithm involving a weighting parameter. Time integration is carried out using a two-level difference scheme with the weighting parameter as well. The resulting tri-diagonal systems of nonlinear algebraic equations are solved using the Picard iterative method. For particular sets of the weighting parameters, the proposed method takes the form of a standard finite element method and various schemes of the finite difference method. On the other hand, for the linear version of the governing equation, the proper values of the weighting parameters ensure an approximation of 3rd order. Since the diffusive wave equation can be solved no matter whether the area is dry or wet, the numerical computations can be carried out over entire domain of solution without distinguishing a current position of the shoreline which is obtained as a result of solution.     

Higher-order compositional modeling with Fickian diffusion in unstructured and anisotropic media

We present advances in compositional modeling of two-phase multi-component flow through highly complex porous media. Higher-order methods are used to approximate both mass transport and the velocity and pressure fields. We employ the Mixed Hybrid Finite Element (MHFE) method to simultaneously solve, to the same order, the pressure equation and Darcy's law for the velocity. The species balance equation is approximated by the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) approach, combined with a slope limiter. In this work we present an improved DG scheme where phase splitting is analyzed at all element vertices in the two-phase regions, rather than only as element averages. This approximation is higher-order than the commonly employed finite volume method and earlier DG approximations. The method reduces numerical dispersion, allowing for an accurate capture of shock fronts and lower dependence on mesh quality and orientation. Further new features are the extension to unstructured grids and support for arbitrary permeability tensors (allowing for both scalar heterogeneity, and shear anisotropy). The most important advancement in this work is the self-consistent modeling of two-phase multi-component Fickian diffusion. We present several numerical examples to illustrate the powerful features of our combined MHFE–dg method with respect to lower-order calculations, ranging from simple two component fluids to more challenging real problems regarding CO₂ injection into a vertical domain saturated with a multi-component petroleum fluid.     

三维三分量CSAMT法有限元正演模拟研究初探

首先从麦克斯韦方程出发,用伽里金方法推导了三维三分量CSAMT法的有限元方程.在研究过程中,认识到加入散度条件的必要性,在公式中强加了散度条件,提高了解的完备性.其次将成功应用于二维线源频率域电磁法有限元模拟中的两种技术推广到三维中,一是边界条件统一采用一阶吸收边界,使线源产生的电磁波在边界上按波的传播规律被吸收,以降低平面波假设造成的影响;二是总体系数矩阵的存储,用两个二维数组分别记录总体系数矩阵的非零元素及其在总体结点编号中所处的位置,使总体系数矩阵的存储量达到最小的同时,物理意义明确,迭代求解时迅速简便.最后用均匀半空间模型进行了验证.