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A mixed finite element/finite volume approach for solving biodegradation transport in groundwater
Author(s) -
Gallo Claudio,
Manzini Gianmarco
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
international journal for numerical methods in fluids
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.938
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1097-0363
pISSN - 0271-2091
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0363(19980315)26:5<533::aid-fld635>3.0.co;2-d
Subject(s) - finite volume method , discretization , context (archaeology) , finite element method , convection–diffusion equation , mechanics , mathematics , mathematical optimization , thermodynamics , physics , mathematical analysis , geology , paleontology
A numerical model for the simulation of flow and transport of organic compounds undergoing bacterial oxygen‐ and nitrate‐based respiration is presented. General assumptions regarding microbial population, bacteria metabolism and effects of oxygen, nitrogen and nutrient concentration on organic substrate rate of consumption are briefly described. The numerical solution techniques for solving both the flow and the transport are presented. The saturated flow equation is discretized using a high‐order mixed finite element scheme, which provides a highly accurate estimation of the velocity field. The transport equation for a sorbing porous medium is approximated using a finite volume scheme enclosing an upwind TVD shock‐capturing technique for capturing concentration‐unsteady steep fronts. The performance and capabilities of the present approach in a bio‐remediation context are assessed by considering a set of test problems. The reliability of the numerical results concerning solution accuracy and the computational efficiency in terms of cost and memory requirements are also estimated. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.