Numerical Benchmark Studies on Flow and Solute Transport in Geological Reservoirs

Predicting and characterising groundwater flow solute transport in engineering hydrogeological applications, such as dimensioning tracer experiments, rely primarily on numerical modelling techniques. During software selection for modelling, the accuracy of results, financial costs simulation software, computational resources should be considered. This study evaluates approaches outlines advantages disadvantages several simulators terms predictability, temporal control, efficiency conducted a single user resource set-up. A set well-established simulators, MODFLOW/MT3DMS, FEFLOW, COMSOL Multiphysics, DuMuX were tested compared. These are based three discretisation schemes, i.e., finite difference (FD), element (FE), volume (FV). The influence dispersivity, potentially an artefact (numerical dispersion), was investigated parametric studies, results compared with analytical solutions. At same time, relative errors assessed complex field scale example. comparative reveals that FE-based FEFLOW show higher specific range dispersivities under forced gradient conditions than MODFLOW/MT3DMS. performs better regard to time both single-core multi-core computing. Overall is lowest FD-based simulator MODFLOW/MT3DMS while number mesh elements low (here < 12,800 elements). However, finer discretisation, FE faster.