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G8. GROUNDWATER MODELING
(KUL-code: I864 (Th); I865(Pr))
Lecturer: DE SMEDT F.
ECTS-credit: 5 pts
Contact hours: 30 hrs. theory and computer sessions/30 hrs. study case
Prerequisites: Groundwater hydrology (C7), Mathematical methods (C1), Information technology
(W1)
Time and place: 1st semester, 13 sessions of 3 hours each, VUB.
Course syllabus: Course notes are available
Evaluation: There is no formal exam. The students are asked to work a practical problem, i. e. the
Woburn groundwater pollution case, for which all relevant material is available in the
department. The students have to prepare a report and individual presentation of the
conducted and achieved results, which will be graded as end result of the course.
Comparable handbook: Wang, M.F., and M.P. Anderson, 1982. Introduction to groundwater modeling - Finite
difference and finite element methods. W.M. Freeman and Co.
Additional information: -
Learning objectives:
The goal of the course is to teach the students how to use professional software for simulation and prediction of
groundwater flow and pollutant transport, such that they are able to analyze any groundwater problem that they
would encounter in their professional career by the computer programs that are available in scientific and
commercial circuits.
Course description:
1. Introduction to groundwater modeling:
Numerical techniques for steady and transient flow; numerical approximation of boundary conditions;
matrix inversion techniques and iterative solvers; linear and non-linear problems; stability and convergence
criteria.
2. Introduction to groundwater pollution modeling:
Numerical techniques for simulation of groundwater pollution; boundary conditions; flow tracking;
numerical solvers; stability and convergence criteria.
3. Introduction to MODFLOW and MT3D:
Grid design; input of aquifer characteristics and boundary conditions; choice of solvers and stopping
criteria; output facilities and graphical representation of results.
4. Introduction to the Woburn pollution case.
Practical study case:
- Application of the MODFLOW and MT3D model to the Woburn groundwater pollution case.
Advanced studies in Water Resources Engineering / 37