Two‐dimensional finite element method solution of a class of integro‐differential equations: Application to non‐Fickian transport in disordered media

Summary A finite element method is developed to solve a class of integro‐differential equations and demonstrated for the important specific problem of non‐Fickian contaminant transport in disordered porous media. This transient transport equation, derived from a continuous time random walk approach, includes a memory function. An integral element is the incorporation of the well‐known sum‐of‐exponential approximation of the kernel function, which allows a simple recurrence relation rather than storage of the entire history. A two‐dimensional linear element is implemented, including a streamline upwind Petrov–Galerkin weighting scheme. The developed solver is compared with an analytical solution in the Laplace domain, transformed numerically to the time domain, followed by a concise convergence assessment. The analysis shows the power and potential of the method developed here. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.