A Global Hybridized Mixed Finite Element Method for Infiltration and Groundwater Flow Modelling

Abstract

A numerical model for simulation of one dimensional infiltration and groundwater flow in variably-saturated porous media is presented. The algorithm consists in a discretization of Richards' equation that combines a temporal linearization using a Picard iteration with a spatial approximation employing a hybridized mixed finite element procedure. The algorithm is computationally efficientand mass conservative.
Some relevant features of the associated algebraic problem and a numerical example of infiltration in a flatland region are also included.