Training Manual FEFLOW 7.

1
Groundwater Modeling with FEFLOW 7.1

August 24, 2017

DHI WASY GmbH

Groundwater Modelling Centre
FEFLOW Services
Contents 3

Contents
Preface i
0.1 Scope and structure of this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i
0.2 Exercise data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
0.3 Where to find additional information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii
0.4 Trademark legal notice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii

1 Box - Fluid Flow 1

1.1 Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 Model Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.3 Starting a New Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.4 Supermesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.5 Finite-Element Mesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.6 Problem Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.7 Model Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.8 Simulation Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.9 Postprocessing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
1.10 Additional Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

2 Box - Solute Transport 13

2.1 Objective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.2 Model Scenario . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.3 Problem Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.4 Model Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.5 Simulation Run . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.6 Oscillation Prevention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Preface i

Preface
0.1 Scope and structure of this manual

This training manual serves as a basis for FEFLOW training courses held by DHI instruc-
tors.
It is intended to help you to follow the training more easily, to understand the theoretical
background of the program and to be able to repeat the examples at home on your own.
It should neither be considered as an alternative FEFLOW Help System nor as a step-
by-step tutorial for personal training.

0.1.1 Terms and notations

This manual has been designed to be as self-explanatory as possible. Still, some notations
should be clarified in advance.
At one side of each page you find some white space to take notes related to the con-
tents of the page. The instructor will inform you about helpful details not contained in this
manual, and you will probably wish to write down parts of these explanations.
In the manual, you will basically find four different types of content:

• A detailed description of the steps necessary to complete the examples.

• A basic overview of the theoretical or conceptual background of the steps applied.

• Pointers to the most frequent mistakes.

• References to the other parts of the FEFLOW documentation.

0.1.2 Description of the examples

In addition to verbal descriptions of the required screen actions we make use of some
icons. They are intended to assist in relating the written description to the graphical infor-
mation provided by FEFLOW. The icons refer to the kind of setting to be done:

menu command
toolbar
panel
button
input box for text or numbers
switch toggle
radio button
check box
context-menu command

At some points in the text you will find file names printed in color. The respective files
are located on the USB memory stick that comes together with this training manual. The
exact path of these files is given in the introduction to each chapter.
ii Preface

You may use these files as a starting point for your studies later (if you do not want to
start your exercise at the beginning of the chapter again). Please note that DHI WASY
does not take any responsibility for the correctness and usability of these data.
Other files (e.g., GIS data or background images) are printed in the same color.

0.1.3 Theoretical / conceptual notes

Notes concerning the theoretical background or the basic concepts in FEFLOW

can be found in light blue boxes. They offer a short, practically-oriented overview
of the theory related to the described steps. For more detailed information
please have a look at the corresponding chapters in the FEFLOW documen-
tation.

0.1.4 Pointers to the most frequent mistakes

The most common mistakes are enclosed in light red boxes.

0.1.5 References
References to other parts of the FEFLOW documentation, such as the Help System or
articles of the White Papers are provided in combination with a book sign.
The notation of references is as follows:

WP II 1.3.2
White Papers, Vol. II, Chapter 1.3.2

0.2 Exercise data

Your course material includes a training DVD or a USB memory stick, which contains this
training manual and the presentation slides as well as the complete FEFLOW documenta-
tion (all PDF format).
All data that you need to create the models discussed in this manual can be found in the
folder /model. At the beginning of each exercise, the location of the specific files necessary
for the section is indicated.

0.3 Where to find additional information

To get further information, please also refer to other parts of the FEFLOW documentation.
The following additional documentation material is available:

0.3.1 The FEFLOW documentation

• License Installation Guideline for Windows

• License Installation Guideline for Linux

• Introductory Tutorial

• Help System: The main core of the FEFLOW documentation is provided via the
FEFLOW Help System. The help is available locally (requires user installation) and
online. The help gives a detailed description of the user interface. It explains the
Preface iii

essential work steps of model set-up, simulation, post-processing, IFM Programming

and Python Interface.
In each chapter, the respective topic is introduced and the relevant FEFLOW tools
are presented. The underlying concepts and workflows are described, followed by a
tutorial section.

• White Papers Vol. I - V:

A collection of articles about specific modeling approaches and methods used in
FEFLOW.

The entire documentation can be found in PDF format in the /documentation folder of
the FEFLOW DVD or USB.

0.3.2 The FEFLOW Help system

The Help system provides detailed background information at all stages of modeling. It can
be opened from the FEFLOW menu Help - Help (Online) or Help - Help (Online)
(requires previous installation).

0.4 Trademark legal notice

All product names, logos, and brands are property of their respective owners. All company,
product and service names used in this training manual are for identification purposes only.
Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.
1 Box - Fluid Flow 1

1 Box - Fluid Flow

All files related to this exercise can be
found on the training USB memory stick
in the project folder /models/box model.

1.1 Objective

By setting up a very simple horizontal 2D model, some basic FEFLOW operations are
practiced.
First, the geometry of the model is defined and a finite-element mesh is generated. The
model properties - initial, boundary conditions and material properties - are applied.
In a last step, boundary conditions and/or material properties are modified, so that a
better understanding of their effects on the model results can be acquired.

1.2 Model Scenario

The model domain is a simple rectangle with an area of approx. 1000 m x 1000 m. The
main flow direction follows the hydraulic head gradient from the left (western) to the right
(eastern) border.
Two production wells exist within the model area. Recharge is applied as a constant
value all over the model domain. Figure 1.1 illustrates the scenario.

1.3 Starting a New Model

Choose File - New from the menu to start with a new model. The upcoming dialog
asks you how the model extents should be specified. Choose Manual input of the
initial domain bounds and click Next.
The horizontal and vertical extent of the model domain is 1000 m. Enter this number
as the maximum value for both the x-Range and the y-Range (the minimum values remain
at the default value of 0 m).

Figure 1.1: Model scenario

2 1 Box - Fluid Flow

With a click on Finish, a new model is created and a (Supermesh) view window is
opened.

Many features of FEFLOW are organized in Toolbars and Panels. The

View Components panel for example contains a list of elements that can be
displayed in the currently selected view window.
Panels and toolbars as well as charts can be arranged in the FEFLOW window
in an arbitrary manner.
If a panel, toolbar or chart is not visible, it can be activated from the View
menu (Figure 1.2).

Figure 1.2: Activating a panel

1.4 Supermesh

The supermesh defines the geometry of the model.

In the simplest case, a supermesh consists of only one polygon that defines the
outer boundary. The design of the supermesh also influences the generation of
the finite-element mesh. More complex supermeshes contain several polygons
and a number of lines and points.

In this simple case, the supermesh consists of one single square polygon with a lateral
length of 1000 m as its outer boundary.
Click on Add Polygons in the Mesh Editor toolbar.

The polygon is digitized on the display by clicking the left mouse button for each node
of the supermesh border. The polygon is closed by either double-clicking the left mouse
button or by clicking the first node of the node-string again.
Exact coordinates can be set by pressing the <F2> key on your keyboard instead of
clicking the left mouse button. The result should look like the polygon in Figure 1.3.

box.smh
1 Box - Fluid Flow 3

Figure 1.3: Supermesh

1.5 Finite-Element Mesh

FEFLOW provides the different tools to create a finite-element mesh in the Meshing
panel.
In the Meshing panel click on Supermesh from the panel section From Supermesh
Elements. This will activate the Properties section for all the Supermesh Elements. Enter
a number of 500 elements in the Proposed elements field of the Meshing panel.
In the upper section of the panel, select Advancing Front from the drop-down list of
generators and click on Generate Mesh (Figure 1.4).

Figure 1.4: Meshing panel.

As a result, you should obtain a mesh similar to the one shown in Figure 1.6.

Meshing panel:
This contains all the necessary tools to create the finite-element mesh in 2D or
3D. The finite-element mesh is the basis of the numerical simulation.
In the case of 2D meshing, FEFLOW can work with quadrilateral as well as with
triangular meshes.
4 1 Box - Fluid Flow

Different mesh generators are provided for automatic meshing: Transport Map-
ping for quadrilateral; Advancing Front, GridBuilder and Triangle for trian-
gles.
Advancing Front produces very regular meshes but neglects line and point
features; GridBuilder overcomes this drawback but may fail under certain cir-
cumstances. Triangle can handle very complex geometries and is extremely
fast, but yields elements of slightly lower quality.
The number of finite-elements can be indicated by the Proposed elements field
in the Meshing panel, which can be a number either for the entire Supermesh
or for a region of the Supermesh.
In the case of 3D meshing, FEFLOW works with the TetGen mesh generator,
which can produce tetrahedral quality meshes. This type of meshes can be
either created by meshing directly from a 3D Supermesh or by re-meshing an
existing 3D finite-element model.

Figure 1.5: Mesh generators in FEFLOW

boxA1.fem

1.6 Problem Settings

From the main menu choose Edit - Problem Settings.

The Problem Settings dialog is the control center for all general settings of the
model, e.g. the type of the problem (flow only or flow and transport), the tem-
poral domain (steady state or transient) or numerical properties like accuracy
settings and the choice of the equation solver.
1 Box - Fluid Flow 5

Figure 1.6: The finite-element mesh

The numerous settings of a FEFLOW model are listed in an index on the left
side of the dialog.
At the top of the index, you find the Problem Summary, which gives information
on key properties like the Problem Class or the number of nodes and elements.
Further down the index, the Problem Class category lets you define the type of
the model and the respective settings. Other items on the list are the Equation-
System Solver, Field-Line Computation settings and Editor Settings.

1.6.1 Problem Class

FEFLOW allows the simulation of flow, groundwater age, mass and heat transport pro-
cesses in either saturated or variably saturated media. For both flow and transport simu-
lations, a steady-state or a transient solution can be computed.

Saturated/Unsaturated
In saturated mode, unsaturated parts of the model are either excluded or treated
in a simplified manner. The Darcy equation is used for the entire model domain.
In unsaturated mode, Richards’ equation is applied for the unsaturated parts of
the model.

Flow/Transport
FEFLOW can simulate the flow regime exclusively, or in combination with a
transport simulation. For transport, you can choose between groundwater age,
mass (contaminant) transport, heat transport or any combination of the three.
We recommend to always set up a flow model first to check its usability. In a
subsequent step, it can be extended to a flow and transport model.

Steady state/Transient
In steady state mode, FEFLOW calculates the state of a model with time-constant
6 1 Box - Fluid Flow

boundary conditions and material properties after an infinitely long time, e.g. to
simulate average conditions for an aquifer. In transient mode, the simulation is
done for a specified time period. This time period is divided into time steps for
which results are computed (temporal discretization).
The steady flow/transient transport mode requires a steady state solution of the
flow simulation as initial condition!

Open the Problem Settings dialog via the Edit menu. Choose the Problem Class
item from the index on the left-hand side of the dialog. Switch to Steady for Fluid flow.
No further changes are required (see the settings in Figure 1.7).
Close the window with OK and confirm the changes with Yes.

Figure 1.7: Defining the problem class in the Problem Settings dialog

boxA2.fem

1.7 Model Properties

The model properties reflect the physical conditions in the model area. This includes initial
conditions, boundary conditions and material properties. All model properties can be found
in the Data panel (Figure 1.8).

1.7.1 Initial Conditions

In the Data panel, all model properties are organized in seven major categories (Geom-
etry, Process Variables, Boundary Conditions, Material Properties, Auxiliary Data,
User Data and Discrete Features).
The Process Variables include the primary variables (piezometric head for the flow model,
mean age, lifetime expectancy, exit probability, concentration and temperature for transport
models) and secondary (derived) variables (like Darcy flux, saturation, etc.).
The state of the primary variables at the beginning of the simulation reflects the initial con-
ditions of the model.
With a double-click on Hydraulic head, this property is plotted in the currently active view
window. The default initial head is 0 m and will be used for this simple steady-state exam-
ple. No changes are necessary.
1 Box - Fluid Flow 7

Figure 1.8: Model properties shown in the Data panel

1.7.2 Boundary Conditions

For the purpose of this exercise, a fixed hydraulic head will be assigned to both the left
(30 m) and the right borders (29.85 m).
Activate Hydraulic-head BC from the Data panel (Boundary Conditions - Fluid flow )
by double-clicking on it. The model turns grey, indicating that no boundary conditions have
been assigned yet.

By default, all boundaries of a FEFLOW model are impervious.

To allow an interaction of the model domain with its environment, boundary con-
ditions have to be specified. In FEFLOW, there are five different types of flow
boundary conditions: Hydraulic-head BC, Fluid-flux BC, Fluid-transfer BC,
Well BC and Multilayer-well BC.

Boundary and initial conditions of a finite-element model are node-based parameters.

Before the boundary conditions can be assigned, a selection of nodes must be created as
assignment target. In this example, the left border will be selected first.
Choose the Select Nodes Along a Border tool from the drop-down list in the Se-
lection toolbar.
Move the mouse cursor to the bottom-most node of the left border. Press and hold the
left mouse button. Move the mouse cursor to the topmost node of the left border and
8 1 Box - Fluid Flow

release the mouse button again. You should see that the nodes of the left border are se-
lected, indicated by yellow markers as shown in Figure 1.9.

Figure 1.9: Selection of nodes along the left border

In the Editor toolbar, enter a value of 30 m into the input box. Click on As-
sign to assign the BC value. The boundary conditions on the left side should now be
visible and highlighted as blue circles.
To check the value of the boundary conditions that have just been assigned, activate the
Inspect Nodal/Elemental Values tool in the Inspection toolbar. Move the magni-
fying glass over the node that you want to check, and the value of the boundary condition
is displayed in the Inspection panel (Figure 1.10).
Before repeating the same steps for the right model border it is necessary to clear the
current selection (otherwise the boundary conditions that have already been set at the
active selection would be overwritten). Go to the Selection toolbar and click on
Clear Selection. Now, repeat the steps for the right border. Choose the Select
Nodes Along a Border tool from the Selection toolbar again and select the nodes
between the bottom-most and the topmost node of the right border.

This time, enter a value of 29.85 m in the input box of the Editor toolbar. Click on
Assign to assign the boundary condition. Next, use the Inspect Nodal/Elemental
Values tool a second time to make sure that the values are correct and clear the selection
again ( Clear Selection).

The last boundary conditions to be set are the two wells. The production wells are
located within the eastern part of the model, each having a pumping rate of 500 m3 /d. The
steps for assigning well boundary conditions are the same as for the previous boundary
condition: First, select (double-click) Well BC in the Data panel. Second, create a
selection that contains two nodes within the right part of the model. An appropriate tool
for creating a selection of single nodes is the Select Individual Mesh Items tool
that can be found in the left drop-down list of the Selection toolbar. Make sure
1 Box - Fluid Flow 9

Figure 1.10: Boundary conditions checked with the Inspect Nodal/Elemental Values tool

that the selection mode Add to Selection is active (second drop-down list in the
Selection toolbar). Choose two arbitrary nodes in the right part of the model, and
click on each of them once. Two yellow markers indicate the active selection.
Finally, enter a pumping rate of 500 m3 /d in the Editor toolbar and click on
Assign.
All required boundary conditions have now been assigned to the model. For a final
check, clear the selection by clicking Clear Selection and double-click on Boundary
Conditions - Fluid flow in the Data panel to display all types of boundary conditions at
the same time. The result should look similar to Figure 1.11.

For Fluid-flux BC and Well BC type boundary conditions positive values define
outflow from the model, negative ones define inflow.

boxA3.fem

1.7.3 Material Properties

When a new model is created, FEFLOW assigns default values for all material properties.
Except for transmissivity and recharge, these default values will be used for this simple
example. Double-click on Material Properties - Fluid flow - Transmissivity [max] in the
Data panel.
In a finite-element model, all material properties are elemental values. Both transmis-
sivity and recharge are considered as homogeneous. Therefore, a selection containing all
elements is to be created for the following data-assignment steps.
Click on Select All in the Selection toolbar (the keyboard shortcut <CTRL +
A> has the same effect). Enter a value of 170 in the Editor toolbar and click on
Assign (the FEFLOW default unit is [m2 /d]).
One way of representing recharge in a FEFLOW model is using the Source/sink pa-
rameter. Double-click on this entry in the Data panel to plot the current distribution in
the active view.
10 1 Box - Fluid Flow

Figure 1.11: All boundary conditions shown in the view window

Type a value of 5e-4 m/d into the input box of the Editor toolbar, click on As-
sign again and clear the selection with Clear Selection afterwards.

boxA4.fem

1.8 Simulation Run

To see the changes in the model results while the simulation is being performed, plot the
hydraulic-head distribution in the active view by double-clicking on Process Variables -
Fluid flow - Hydraulic head in the Data panel. Now, go to the Simulation toolbar
and click on Start. After a few seconds, a colored distribution of the resulting hydraulic
head is shown in the active view (Figure 1.12).

Figure 1.12: The hydraulic head field as calculated during the model run
1 Box - Fluid Flow 11

1.9 Postprocessing

To study the results in more detail, we use the View Components panel. This panel
contains a list of all properties that are currently displayed in the active view. The compo-
nents are sorted in different categories, in this case Geometry and Hydraulic head.
For Hydraulic head, different plot styles are available. The default style is a Continu-
ous, interpolated color distribution. To change to a Fringes or Isolines plot style, deacti-
vate the check mark in front of Continuous and activate the Fringes or Isolines
style instead. Finally, the water balance of the model should be checked. Bring the Rate-
Budget panel to the front which is located to the lower right of the FEFLOW interface by
default. To start the budget calculation, use the Active check box (Figure 1.13).

Figure 1.13: The water balance of the model is shown in the Rate-Budget panel

The Imbalance term in the Rate Budget panel reflects the solver residual
error and the numerical error due to 1) mesh discretization in the case of steady-
state problems and 2) both mesh and temporal discretizations in the case of
transient problems. For steady-state problems, the imbalance should be close
to zero.

1.10 Additional Practice

For additional practice of the methods used so far, try to change some parameters, such
as the pumping rates of the wells, the transmissivity, etc., and compare the results.
12 1 Box - Fluid Flow
2 Box - Solute Transport 13

2 Box - Solute Transport

All files related to this exercise can be
found on the training USB memory stick
in the project folder /models/box model.

2.1 Objective

In this exercise, the 2D flow model is extended to a 2D mass-transport model. Basic con-
cepts of mass-transport modeling including boundary conditions and material properties
are explained.
Common problems in transport modeling, such as oscillations and numerical dispersion,
and their prevention strategies are explained and discussed. Boundary constraints are
introduced during the exercise.

2.2 Model Scenario

Two contaminant sources that are located upstream of the wells can potentially affect the
water quality. Therefore, contaminant concentrations at the wells should be determined.
For our model, this is done by a steady-state simulation for a worst-case scenario. The
scenario is shown in Figure 2.1.

2.3 Problem Settings

2.3.1 Problem Class

Load the previously created 2D flow model or open boxA4.fem from the training USB stick
or DVD. Open the Problem Settings dialog located in the Edit menu.
Choose Problem Class from the index and activate the option Include transport of...
Mass (Figure 2.2).
To finish, click OK and confirm the changes with Yes.

boxB1.fem

Figure 2.1: Model scenario

14 2 Box - Solute Transport

Figure 2.2: Problem-class settings for steady mass transport

Figure 2.3: Available types of mass-transport boundary conditions

2.4 Model Properties

After the problem class has been changed, additional model properties related to the trans-
port model appear in the Data panel. This includes initial and boundary conditions, as
well as material properties.

2.4.1 Initial Conditions

In the Data panel, double click on Process Variables - Mass transport - Mass con-
centration.
The state of the process variables at the start of the simulation reflects the initial condi-
tions of the model. The default initial condition of 0 mg/l is accepted without changes.

2.4.2 Boundary Conditions

The mass-transport boundary conditions are of a similar type as the flow BCs. Figure 2.3
gives an overview of the available boundary-condition types.
The model domain contains two contamination sources. The easiest and probably most
conservative approach - using a fixed concentration - will be used to represent these two
sources.
2 Box - Solute Transport 15

Figure 2.4: Selection for contamination sources

In the Data panel double-click on Boundary Conditions - Mass transport - Mass-

concentration BC.
Choose the Select Individual Mesh Items tool from the Selection toolbar.
Move the mouse cursor into the view window and select several mesh nodes in the upper
left side of the model with single left-mouse clicks.
Repeat these steps to select a second area in the lower left side of the model. If a
selection has been created erroneously, use Clear Selection, Undo Last
Selection Step or Redo Last Selection Step buttons of the Selection toolbar.
The result should look similar to the selection shown in Figure 2.4.
Finally, enter a value of 100 mg/l into the input field of the Editor toolbar and
click on Assign to set the boundary conditions. The mass-boundary conditions are
displayed with the same blue symbols that indicate a Hydraulic-head BC.
To check the values of the boundary condition, use the Inspect Nodal/Elemental
Values tool again.
Finally, click on Clear Selection to avoid that these boundary conditions are over-
written during the following operations. During the next steps, the boundary conditions for
the left and right border are assigned.
At any border with advective inflow, the concentration of the water entering the domain
should be specified. For this model, it is assumed that the inflowing water is freshwater
with a concentration of 0 mg/l.
Choose the Select Nodes Along a Border tool from the Selection toolbar.
Move the mouse cursor to the bottommost node of the left border. Press and hold the left
mouse button. Move the mouse cursor to the topmost node of the left border and release
the mouse button again. You should see that the nodes of the left border are selected,
indicated by yellow markers.
Repeat these steps for the right border. The nodes of the left and the right border are
highlighted in yellow. Go to the Editor toolbar and enter a value of 0 mg/l into the
input field. Click on Assign to assign the values. The boundary conditions on the left
and right side should now be visible as blue circles (Figure 2.5).
To check the values of the boundary condition, activate the Inspect Nodal/Elemental
Values again. Move the magnifying glass over the nodes to check the assigned value of
16 2 Box - Solute Transport

Figure 2.5: Nodal selection and mass boundary condition

the boundary condition.

boxB2.fem

Constraints

The flow-boundary conditions assigned to the model (Hydraulic-head BC at left and right
border) potentially allow for both in- and outflow.
In a transport simulation, borders with an inward-flow direction have to be treated in a
different way than borders with an outward-flow direction. In the former case, the con-
centration at the border should be fixed, while in the latter case, free advective outflow is
required, and the mass-boundary condition therefore has to be deactivated. This can be
achieved by a second, complementary condition that is called a Constraint in FEFLOW.

Constraints limit the application of boundary conditions.

A good example is a well with a constant pumping rate, whose drawdown should
be limited to a certain level (Figure 2.6). The minimum hydraulic head to which
dewatering is allowed is defined as a constraint. If the hydraulic head at the
well node is above the minimum head, the well-boundary condition is applied.
If the hydraulic head would drop below the minimum head, the well-boundary
condition is internally turned into a head-boundary condition with the value of
the minimum head.
Please note that when using the settings mentioned above for a well-boundary
condition limited by a minimum head, it is possible that the groundwater level
drops below the minimum head due to effects in the surroundings of the well.
In that specific case, the well will be turned - most likely unwanted - into a
head-boundary condition which will lead to an infiltration of water instead of
a reduction of the pumping rate. To avoid this, a well can be set up with a differ-
ent boundary condition/constraint combination: Use a head-boundary condition
with a value of the minimum head and limit the outflow using a minimum flow-
rate constraint with a value of the pumping rate of the well. To avoid any inflow,
use a maximum flow-rate constraint of 0 at the same time.
2 Box - Solute Transport 17

Figure 2.6: A pumping well with limited screen depth as an application example for con-
straints

Figure 2.7: Comparison of the sign convention for budget results, constraints and bound-
ary conditions

Note: Unlike the definition for boundary conditions, for constraint conditions of
flux type, positive values define an inflow into the model, negative ones an out-
flow (Figure 2.7).

By default, constraints are not shown as a parameter in the Data panel and have to
be made visible first. Use the right mouse button to open the context menu of the item
Boundary Conditions - Mass transport - Mass-concentration BC in the Data panel.
Choose Add Parameter - Min. mass-flow constraint.
Double-click on the new parameter to activate it for assignment (Figure 2.8). Go to the
Editor toolbar and enter a value of 0 g/d into the input field. Finish the assignment
with a click on Assign.
The constraints are now indicated in the view window by horizontal bars below the
boundary-condition symbols.
As a last step, click on Clear Selection in the Selection toolbar.

When using constraints, it is recommended to use a transient model approach.

The reason for doing so is the fact that the check whether the boundary condition
or the constraint should be active is done at every time step for a transient run.
In a steady-state model, this check is only done for the first iteration and then
kept for the subsequent iterations.

boxB3.fem
18 2 Box - Solute Transport

Figure 2.8: Data panel showing the minimum mass-flow constraint

2.4.3 Material Properties

For the simulation of a mass-transport problem, additional material properties are avail-
able, including sorption isotherms and reaction terms.
For the sake of simplicity, default parameters are used for this model. Please note: For
practical applications, you should at least adapt porosity and dispersivity values to local
conditions. The default values are 30 % for porosity, 5 m for the longitudinal and 0.5 m for
the transverse dispersivity.

Three different mechanisms need to be considered for contaminant transport

within a porous medium:

• Advection,

• Molecular diffusion and

• Dispersion.

Dispersion occurs due to differences in transport velocities caused by matrix

variations (microdispersivity, Figure 2.9) and by geological inhomogeneities of
larger spatial scales (macrodispersivity).
Dispersion is usually considered by applying the linear Bear-Scheidegger dis-
persivity law, which distinguishes between a dispersivity parameter in flow direc-
tion (longitudinal dispersivity) and a dispersivity parameter perpendicular to the
flow direction (transverse dispersivity). The longitudinal dispersivity depends on
the length scale of the phenomenon. Figure 2.10 shows a chart of measured
longitudinal dispersivities in relation to the spatial scale.
In comparison to longitudinal dispersivity, much less is known about transverse
dispersivity, and often, the ratio at /al of transverse over longitudinal dispersivi-
ties is assumed to be 0.1. However, even that factor varies widely in laboratory
and field experiments.
2 Box - Solute Transport 19

Figure 2.9: Comparison of purely advective and real mass transport (taken from: [?])

Figure 2.10: Longitudinal dispersivity vs. scale of phenomenon (taken from: [?])
20 2 Box - Solute Transport

Figure 2.11: Result of mass-transport simulation (coarse mesh)

2.5 Simulation Run

Plot the initial concentration in the active view by double-clicking on Process Variables -
Mass transport - Mass concentration in the Data panel.
To start the simulation run, click on Start in the Simulation toolbar. After a
short time, the result is shown. To turn the display of element edges off in the current view,
use the check mark in front of Geometry - Edges in the View Components panel.
As Figure 2.11 shows, the current model setup results in negative concentrations. This
is a clear indication for model instability; the reason for this being an insufficiently fine
spatial discretization.
To improve the model result, the mesh has to be refined.
Before any further changes can be done, the simulation must be stopped by clicking on
Stop in the Simulation toolbar.
Create a selection of all nodes using Select All in the Selection toolbar (or
press <Ctrl + A> on your keyboard). Click on Refine Elements in the Mesh
Geometry toolbar twice to refine the mesh.
Clear Selection and run the simulation again.
The two contamination plumes should now be visible in the resulting concentration field.
When checking the results in more detail, one finds that negative results still occur at the
fronts of the contaminant plume. Figure 2.12 shows a close-up of the contamination source
(the element edges have been reactivated for this figure). Upstream of the contaminant
sources, high and low concentrations change at regular intervals.
This is a typical oscillation pattern in transport models.

Oscillations in a transport simulation can occur if the discretization is insufficient,

i.e., if the mesh is too coarse or if time steps are too large. There are three major
strategies to reduce oscillations:

• Mesh refinement

• Upwind techniques
2 Box - Solute Transport 21

Figure 2.12: Concentration distribution near the contamination sources

• Increasing dispersivity values

The first approach always is the preferable solution as mesh refinement does
not change the physical properties of the model. However, in some cases, mesh
refinement might not be an option due to restrictions in memory and/or compu-
tation time.

Upwind techniques add numerical dispersion to the model, the most general
one - full upwinding - in all directions, the most restricted one - shock capturing
- only where it is necessary. Upwind techniques always change the dispersivity
applied to a model, and therefore lead to a larger contaminant plume.

Increasing the dispersivity also leads to a more stable simulation as gradients

in concentration or temperature are reduced. However, increasing dispersivity
values artificially changes the physical properties of the system.

2.6 Oscillation Prevention

As the oscillations in the model are too high, all of the following solution approaches should
be tried in order to reduce the oscillations.

2.6.1 Mesh Refinement

Repeat the steps described in section 2.5 to refine the mesh several times. As a result, the
oscillations become smaller and the shape of the concentration plume can be reproduced.
Additionally, concentration over- and undershoots are gradually reduced or removed com-
pletely. In further steps, it is possible to refine the mesh locally by selecting the nodes
around the contamination sources using the Select in Rectangular Region tool. The
selection and the result are shown in Figures 2.13 and 2.14.

For transport simulations, the Péclet criterion can be useful for determining the
required mesh density. The Péclet Number is available as elemental distribu-
tion in Auxiliary Data in the Spatial Units panel. The dimensionless Péclet
22 2 Box - Solute Transport

Number relates the Darcy velocity, characteristic length of the finite element and
dispersivity values.

Figure 2.13: Local refinement for mass-transport simulation

Figure 2.14: Result of mass-transport simulation (fine mesh with approx. 10,000 elements)

boxB3a.fem

2.6.2 Upwinding
To activate an upwinding technique, open the Problem Settings dialog via the Edit
menu.
Here, open Problem Class - Numerical Parameters. Choose Full upwinding.
Press OK and confirm the changes with Yes.
2 Box - Solute Transport 23

Run the simulation again. In the best case, there will be no negative values in the
resulting concentration field. However, it can be seen that the sharp fronts of the plume
are artificially smoothed as a result of the extra numerical dispersion (Figure 2.15).

Figure 2.15: Result of mass-transport simulation with Full Upwinding

boxB3b.fem

2.6.3 Increasing Dispersivity Values

Reload the model BoxB3a.fem via File - Open. In the Data panel, double-click on
Material Properties - Mass transport - Longitudinal dispersivity and create a selection
of all elements by clicking on Select All in the Selection toolbar (or press
<Ctrl+A> on your keyboard). Enter a value of 50 m into the input field of the Editor
toolbar and click on Assign.
Repeat these steps for the Transverse dispersivity and assign a value of 5 m.
After running the simulation again, the result looks similar to the one of the simulation
with full upwinding but the spreading of the contaminant plume in both longitudinal and
transverse flow direction is even larger(Figure 2.16).

boxB3c.fem
24 2 Box - Solute Transport

Figure 2.16: Result of mass-transport simulation with increased dispersivity values