No label defined (Q4934248)

Although in many practical situations simplified two-dimensional modeling may be accurate enough, sometimes it becomes mandatory to consider the full three-dimensional models. Conventional numerical techniques such as finite difference schemes or finite element methods may succeed in treating three-dimensional contaminant transport equations, but the required computational effort required may show up to be unbearable. However, there exist circumstances where a three-dimensional analysis can be done quite efficiently. This is particularly true when the geometry is two-dimensional but the problem is actually three-dimensional, and in those cases the application of Fourier transform brings huge simplifications. This paper reduces the dimension of contaminant transport problem by one, and transforms the transient mass transport equation into a stationary one through a combination of integral transforms (Laplace and Fourier), besides the use of finite element method. The model thus developed is called Fourier-Laplace transform finite element method. Its application allows a three-dimensional transient problem to be analysed as a two-dimensional stationary problem, so as to greatly reduce computational costs. Numerical experiments are conducted for this problem in different situations, among them: initially contaminated soil; leakage from a waste repository, both for a short and infinite leakage period; and three-dimensional waste repository in fractured media.