Efficient approximations for the simulation of density driven flow in porous media

Due to the non-linear coupling between flow and transport equations the simulation of real density driven flow problems requires a lot of computational time and/or heavy equipments. We suggest some approximations and numerical recipes to reduce the CPU costs for these strongly non-linear coupled equations without loss in accuracy.     

Computational issues and applications of line-elements to model subsurface flow governed by the modified Helmholtz equation

Two new approaches are presented for the accurate computation of the potential due to line elements that satisfy the modified Helmholtz equation with complex parameters. The first approach is based on fundamental solutions in elliptical coordinates and results in products of Mathieu functions. The second approach is based on the integration of modified Bessel functions. Both approaches allow evaluation of the potential at any distance from the element. The computational approaches are applied to model transient flow with the Laplace transform analytic element method. The Laplace domain solution is computed using a combination of point elements and the presented line elements. The time domain solution is obtained through a numerical inversion. Two applications are presented to transient flow fields, which could not be modeled with the Laplace transform analytic element method prior to this work. The first application concerns transient single-aquifer flow to wells near impermeable walls modeled with line-doublets. The second application concerns transient two-aquifer flow to a well near a stream modeled with line-sinks.     

Optimal allocation of computational resources in hydrogeological models under uncertainty

Flow and transport models in heterogeneous geological formations are usually large-scale with excessive computational complexity and uncertain characteristics. Uncertainty quantification for predicting subsurface flow and transport often entails utilizing a numerical Monte Carlo framework, which repeatedly simulates the model according to a random field parameter representing hydrogeological characteristics of the aquifer. The physical resolution (e.g. spatial grid resolution) for the simulation is customarily chosen based on recommendations in the literature, independent of the number of Monte Carlo realizations. This practice may lead to either excessive computational burden or inaccurate solutions. We develop an optimization-based methodology that considers the trade-off between the following conflicting objectives: time associated with computational costs, statistical convergence of the model prediction and physical errors corresponding to numerical grid resolution. Computational resources are allocated by considering the overall error based on a joint statistical–numerical analysis and optimizing the error model subject to a given computational constraint. The derived expression for the overall error explicitly takes into account the joint dependence between the discretization error of the physical space and the statistical error associated with Monte Carlo realizations. The performance of the framework is tested against computationally extensive simulations of flow and transport in spatially heterogeneous aquifers. Results show that modelers can achieve optimum physical and statistical resolutions while keeping a minimum error for a given computational time. The physical and statistical resolutions obtained through our analysis yield lower computational costs when compared to the results obtained with prevalent recommendations in the literature. Lastly, we highlight the significance of the geometrical characteristics of the contaminant source zone on the optimum physical and statistical resolutions.     

A comparison of continuous mass‐lumped finite elements with finite differences for 3‐D wave propagation

The finite‐difference method on rectangular meshes is widely used for time‐domain modelling of the wave equation. It is relatively easy to implement high‐order spatial discretization schemes and parallelization. Also, the method is computationally efficient. However, the use of finite elements on tetrahedral unstructured meshes is more accurate in complex geometries near sharp interfaces. We compared the standard eighth‐order finite‐difference method to fourth‐order continuous mass‐lumped finite elements in terms of accuracy and computational cost. The results show that, for simple models like a cube with constant density and velocity, the finite‐difference method outperforms the finite‐element method by at least an order of magnitude. Outside the application area of rectangular meshes, i.e., for a model with interior complexity and topography well described by tetrahedra, however, finite‐element methods are about two orders of magnitude faster than finite‐difference methods, for a given accuracy.     

Estimates of flow resistance and eddy viscosity coefficients for 2D modelling on vegetated floodplains

The problem of quantifying the effects of flexible plants on flow resistance and eddy viscosity by vegetated floodplains is first addressed with a one‐dimensional (1D) approximation based upon the so‐called lateral distribution method. The estimates so obtained are then tested with two‐dimensional (2D) numerical simulations based on the full shallow water equations through the use of the computational code Telemac‐2D. Data obtained on a physical model of the Besòs River (Spain), whose floodplains were covered with plastic ornamental plants to mimic the effect of flexible vegetation, is used for the validation of the numerical results. Additionally, the values of flow resistance estimated numerically with the 1D and 2D simulations are compared with values obtained in a rectangular flume under flow conditions (slope, water depth and artificial lining) similar to those used on the reduced model. It is then established that as more physical mechanisms are included in the mathematical model used to study the problem, the ratio between the floodplain and the main channel flow resistance coefficient increases. The approach demonstrates that whenever enough flow data is available, the lateral distribution method delivers values of flow resistance and eddy viscosity which are highly consistent with 2D numerical modelling. This finding could mean considerable savings in the burdensome task of specifying flow resistance and turbulence dissipation values for 2D modelling of large compound channel systems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Investigating the Behaviour of Two-Dimensional Finite Element Models of Compound Channel Flow

This paper describes results from a recent study concerning the numerical modelling of compound channel flow using two generalized two-dimensional finite element codes specifically adapted to floodplain studies: RMA-2 and TELEMAC-2D. By application to an 11 km reach of the River Culum, Devon, UK, simulations are developed to investigate the impact of numerical technique, mesh resolution and topographic parameterization on model results. The research is shown to raise a number of issues concerning the construction, calibration and validation of two-dimensional finite element models for this flow problem. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Deterministic sensitivity analysis for a model for flow in porous media

A deterministic method for sensitivity analysis is developed and applied to a mathematical model for the simulation of flow in porous media. The method is based on the singular value decomposition (SVD) of the Jacobian matrix of the model. It is a local approach to sensitivity analysis providing a hierarchical classification of the directions in both the input space and of those in the output space reflecting the degree of sensitiveness of the latter to the former. Its low computational cost, in comparison with that of statistical approaches, allows the study of the variability of the results of the sensitivity analysis due to the variations of the input parameters of the model, and thus it can provide a quality criterion for the validity of more classical probabilistic global approaches. For the example treated here, however, this variability is weak, and deterministic and statistical methods yield similar sensitivity results.     

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 solutions for mass oscillations in surge tanks

This paper describes a finite element technique using the method of weighted residuals for the solution of mass oscillations in surge tanks. Three weighting functions, uniform, linear and Galerkin, are applied and the results are compared with those from alternative techniques. The relatively simple case of surge analysis with flow rate change in the penstock, but neglecting tunnel friction, is first considered as a direct analytical solution is available. Finally friction is included for comparison with a graphical and analogue solution.     

Integrating remote sensing observations of flood hydrology and hydraulic modelling

The further development of two-dimensional finite element models of river flood flow is currently constrained by a lack of data for rigorous parameterization and validation. Remote sensing techniques have the potential to overcome a number of these constraints thereby allowing a research design for model development. This is illustrated with reference to a case study of a two-dimensional finite element model applied to the Missouri River, Nebraska and compared with a synchronous Landsat TM image of flood inundation extent. The case study allows research needs for the integration of hydraulic modelling and remote sensing to be defined. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A FEniCS-based programming framework for modeling turbulent flow by the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations

Finding an appropriate turbulence model for a given flow case usually calls for extensive experimentation with both models and numerical solution methods. This work presents the design and implementation of a flexible, programmable software framework for assisting with numerical experiments in computational turbulence. The framework targets Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes models, discretized by finite element methods. The novel implementation makes use of Python and the FEniCS package, the combination of which leads to compact and reusable code, where model- and solver-specific code resemble closely the mathematical formulation of equations and algorithms. The presented ideas and programming techniques are also applicable to other fields that involve systems of nonlinear partial differential equations. We demonstrate the framework in two applications and investigate the impact of various linearizations on the convergence properties of nonlinear solvers for a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes model.     

任意地球物理模型的三角形和四面体有限单元剖分

系统介绍了适用于复杂地球物理模型的三角形和四面体单元剖分算法,讨论了单元优良性,优良的网格剖分判定规则,建立了C++执行类库与地球物理模型单元剖分库.利用C++剖分类库与模型单元库,可以进行任意地形条件下的地球物理场的正演与反演计算,剖分类的高效性为实际模型的并行有限元法计算提供了基础.     

基于紧凑存储的任意四边形网格有限元法地震波场数值模拟

采用有限元法精确模拟复杂介质条件下的地震波场,一般采用三角单元,但在节点数相同的情况下,三角单元的计算精度不如矩形单元高,采用三角单元模拟复杂界面时,编制确定结构刚度矩阵非零元素位置的程序也较为麻烦。采用矩形单元离散含有倾斜或起伏界面的地质模型时,无法避免绕射噪声,若加密网格又会增加计算量。为此,本文基于任意四边形单元模拟声波的传播,在倾斜或起伏界面条件下,可以有效避免因离散引起的“阶梯状”界面,在不增加计算量以及内存占用的前提下,有效地消除离散绕射噪声。采用对角的集中质量矩阵代替一致质量矩阵,避免矩阵的求逆运算,从而提高显式有限元法的计算效率;对结构刚度矩阵采用紧凑存储格式,每一行需要存储的元素最多为5个,同时零元素不参与运算,既减少内存的占用,又极大地提高计算效率。      

大洋中脊的形成过程

本文从热传导方程出发,得到了大洋中脊下岩石层温度分布的分析表达式及数值计算结果。结果表明,软流层上涌流动所提供的热源可以使大洋中脊下岩石层逐步融化;岩石层的相对移动速度对大洋中脊岩石层温度场及融化深度影响较大。     

显式中心差分有限单元法在复杂场地地震反应分析中的应用

简单介绍了显式有限单元法,并用此方法分析了有宏观调查结果的典型山梁对地震地面运动的放大效应。提出计算模型应更真实和应该用加速度峰值放大,山顶运动持时增长,谱特性改变三者共同解释山梁顶部震害远大于山脚震害的看法。     

Accuracy of numerical simulations of contaminant transport in heterogeneous aquifers: A comparative study

This work deals with a comparison of different numerical schemes for the simulation of contaminant transport in heterogeneous porous media. The numerical methods under consideration are Galerkin finite element (GFE), finite volume (FV), and mixed hybrid finite element (MHFE). Concerning the GFE we use linear and quadratic finite elements with and without upwind stabilization. Besides the classical MHFE a new and an upwind scheme are tested. We consider higher order finite volume schemes as well as two time discretization methods: backward Euler (BE) and the second order backward differentiation formula BDF (2). It is well known that numerical (or artificial) diffusion may cause large errors. Moreover, when the Péclet number is large, a numerical code without some stabilising techniques produces oscillating solutions. Upwind schemes increase the stability but show more numerical diffusion. In this paper we quantify the numerical diffusion for the different discretization schemes and its dependency on the Péclet number. We consider an academic example and a realistic simulation of solute transport in heterogeneous aquifer. In the latter case, the stochastic estimates used as reference were obtained with global random walk (GRW) simulations, free of numerical diffusion. The results presented can be used by researchers to test their numerical schemes and stabilization techniques for simulation of contaminant transport in groundwater.     

Parallel numerical simulation of two-phase flow model in porous media using distributed and shared memory architectures

A two-phase (water and oil) flow model in a homogeneous porous media is studied, considering immiscible and incompressible displacement. This model is numerically solved using the Finite Volume Method (FVM) and we compare four numerical schemes for the approximation of fluxes on the faces of the discrete volumes. We describe briefly how to obtain the mathematical and computational models applying axiomatic formulations and generic programming. Two strategies of parallelization are implemented in order to reduce the execution time. We study distributed (cluster of CPUs) and shared (Graphics Processing Units) memory architectures. A performance comparison of these two architectures is done along with an analysis of the four numerical schemes, for a water-flooding five-spot pattern model.     

有缝重力坝动力非线性数值计算模型及其应用

对于有缝重力坝的分析，基于连续介质力学的界面单元-有限元方法难于比较精确地模拟缝间的接触应力，从而无法合理地估算坝体应力与变形。作者对于多体系统和分区连续介质所发展的非连续变形计算力学模型能够根据接触界面的本构特性及其力学和运动学约束条件精确地再现受力过程中界面相互作用力的传递与非连续变形状态，本文将其应用于有缝重力坝的动力分析。实例数值分析表明该模型的计算结果从定性上讲是合理的，并且为判断坝体缝隙的工作状态与界面应力提供了有力的依据。     

A Finite Element Algorithm of a Nonlinear Diffusive Climate Energy Balance Model

We present a finite element algorithm of a climate diagnostic model that takes as a climate indicator the atmospheric sea-level temperature. This model belongs to the category of energy balance models introduced independently by the climatologists M.I. Budyko and W.D. Sellers in 1969 to study the influence of certain geophysical mechanisms on the Earth climate. The energy balance model we are dealing with consists of a two-dimensional nonlinear parabolic problem on the 2-sphere with the albedo terms formulated according to Budyko as a bounded maximal monotone graph in The numerical model combines the first-order Euler implicit time discretization scheme with linear finite elements for space discretization, the latter is carried out for the special case of a spherical Earth and uses quasi-uniform spherical triangles as finite elements. The numerical formulation yields a nonlinear problem that is solved by an iterative procedure. We performed different numerical simulations starting with an initial datum consisting of a monthly average temperature field, calculated from the temperature field obtained from 50 years of simulations, corresponding to the period 1950–2000, carried out by the Atmosphere General Circulation Model HIRLAM.     

针对复杂地形的三种地震波走时算法及对比

复杂地形条件下地震波走时算法对于研究复杂地形地区的成像问题有着重要的意义.为了得到精度高且适应于复杂地形的走时算法,首先提出阶梯网格迎风差分法.然后将该方法与不等距网格有限差分法和混合网格线性插值法进行对比研究,得出如下结论:混合网格线性插值法的计算精度最高,但其计算效率最低;阶梯网格迎风差分法的计算精度最低,但其计算效率最高;不等距网格有限差分法的计算精度和计算效率均居中;而究竟选取哪种算法作为给定复杂地形模型的地震波走时算法,应该综合考虑地形的特点、所研究问题对计算精度及计算效率的要求等因素.最后通过一个计算实例验证了三种算法在面对复杂地形、近地表及地下复杂介质等复杂地质条件时均有很好的适应性和稳定性.