Low-order finite elements for parameter identification in groundwater flow (Q1903236)

To optimize parameter identification, a comparison of different elements is carried out. The study uses different element orders for Taylor's series analysis and in coding a finite element program. The analysis indicates that strong variation of transmissivity results in a larger residual error rather for high-order elements than for low-order elements. An example with an analytical solution is used for numerical comparison. The computed results show that low-order elements, rather than high-order elements, yield better results in parameter estimation.