Options
A Meshless Weak–Strong Form Method for the Simulation of Coupled Flow and Contaminant Transport in an Unconfined Aquifer
Journal
Transport in Porous Media
ISSN
01693913
Date Issued
2022-07-01
Author(s)
Das, Sanjukta
Eldho, T. I.
Abstract
Meshless methods are potential substitutes to the conventional finite difference and finite element methods (FDM and FEM) and have the advantage of alleviating the meshing and remeshing process of these mesh-/grid-based methods. The strong and weak form-based meshless techniques, though efficient in groundwater studies, have their limitations. The strong form techniques are direct and fast, but the Neumann or derivative or flux boundary conditions need special treatment. The weak form methods are efficient in handling the Neumann boundaries; however, the integration process involved in these methods increases the computational time. In this paper, a meshless weak–strong (MWS) form method is presented for modeling coupled groundwater flow and contaminant transport (GFCT) phenomenon in an unconfined aquifer. The strong form radial point collocation method (RPCM) and weak form meshless local Petrov–Galerkin (MLPG) method are hybridized to form the RPCM–MLPG–MWS–GFCT model, which has the advantages of both methods. The model is validated for flow and one- and two-dimensional transport simulation with the analytical solutions and then used to solve the flow and transport phenomena in a hypothetical and a real field problem. The results are compared with the available numerical solutions, as well as RPCM and MLPG solutions, and the merits of the MWS method are highlighted.
Subjects