Groundwater Modeling by

the Finite Element Method

Water Resources Monograph

Vol. 13

Appendix II

DERIVATION

TRANSIENT

OF EQUATIONS

GROUNDWATER

OF

FLOW

The law of conservation

of massfor transientflow requiresthatthenetrateat which
fluidentersa controlvolumeis equalto thetimerateof changeof fluidmassstoragewithin
the control volume.

netrateof inflow = inflow- outflow = rateof changein storage

(AII. 1)

Fromequations
AI. 1 andAI.4 we canwrite

netrate
ofinflow
= -(P")x)- (P")y)
- (Pt)z)

(AII.2)

In steady-state
flow, thechangein storagewithin thecontrolvolumeis zero. In transient
flow, thechangein storageis notzeroandequationAH.2 becomes

-(P'Ox) (p'0y)
- zz(p'0z)
=
I

(AII.3)
I

netrateof inflow

rateof change
in storage

where
nistheporosity
oftheporous
media.
Thedimensions
oftheterm(pn)areM/L3T
or the timerate of changeof fluid massper unit volumeof the controlvolume. Now
assume
thattheporous
mediais saturated.
Thenusingthechain-rule
wecanexpandthe

right-handsideof equationAH.3

(pn)= -(pn)
8h
-

(AII.4)

wherewecanseethat,in transient,
saturated
flow,therateof change
in fluidstorage
in the
control
volumeisrelatedtotherateof change
in hydraulic
head.Usingtheproduct
rulewe
canexpandthefirsttermontheright-hand
sideof equation
AH.4

h(pn)= p-
n+ n-.
p

(AII.5)

ThefLrSt
termontheright-hand
sideof equation
AII.5 is themassof waterproduced
bythe
expansion
or compression
of theporousmediaandthe secondtermis themassof water
produceby the expansionor compression
of the fluid. In the caseof saturated
flow,

water
can
only
enter
thecontrol
volume
ffthe
porosity
increases
>0 orthe
fluid
density
464

Copyright American Geophysical Union

Groundwater Modeling by
the Finite Element Method

Water Resources Monograph

Vol. 13

Appendix
II

465

To continuewe mustdefinetwo new terms:theporousmediacompressibilityczand

thefluid compressibility
. Compression
orexpansion
of theporous
mediais caused
by a
change
in effective
stress
oe. If theporous
mediais saturated
(An.6)

dae = -pgdxl/

where
isthepressure
head.
Butsince
dxl/=
d(h- z*)= dhdoe = -pgdh

wecan
write
(ArL7)

Nowdefinetheporous
mediacompressibility
dVf 1

dn

x=- V dae doe

(An.8)

whereVf isthevolumeof fluidandV is thecontrol

volume.Combining
equations
AH.7
and AH.8 we have

= opg

(AH.9)

Thefluidcompressibility
[isdefinedas
dVf 1

[: -f-f

(,aJI.
10)

wherep is thefluid pressure.The changein pressure

is givenby
dp = pgdv = pgdh

(AII. 11)

andwithdVi/Vf = dp/pequation
AH.10becomes

or

[=dp
1
--pg

(AII.
12)

dp

' = p2g[

(AII.
13)

Substituting
equations
AH.9 andAH.13 intoequationAII.4 gives

-(pn)
: ()n
p-+ _ph
: (p2ga
+np2g]3)
-

(AII. 14)

Nowdefinethespecific
storageSsas
$. -- pg(o+

(AII. 15)

Copyright American Geophysical Union

Groundwater Modeling by
the Finite Element Method

Water Resources Monograph

466

Vol. 13

Derivation
of Equations
of Transient
Groundwater
FlowProblems

Thedimensions
ofSsareL-1representing
thevolume
ofwater
that
aunit
volume
ofaquifer

releases
fromstorage
for.a unitdeclinein hydraulichead. Substituting
equation
AII. 15into
equationAII. 14 gives

= P$s'
(pn)
)h

(AII.16)

andsubstituting
equationAH.16 intoequationAII.3 we have

'(p't)y)
-

(AII. 17)

If we assumethatdensityis constantin the threecoordinatedirectionsequationAII. 17

becomes

P(- (3!J
x- Uy
cU,
3h
- --..)
=pS,.]-

(AII.
18)

Cancellingp frombothsidesof equation

AH.18 andusingDarcy'sLaw we arriveat the
transient,saturated-flowequation.

/ h' / h' / 3h' Sh

(AII. 19)

If theporous
mediais homogeneous,
Kx,Ky,andKz areconstant
andequation
AH.19

reduces to

Kx)2h
)2h
)2h
)h
x2 _
Kyy
2_
Kzz
2 Ss

(AII.20)

If e porous
meaissoisopic,Kx= Ky= = K,equation
AH.20isuen
)2h )2h )2h= --..-Ss)h

----+----+----.

)x2 3y2 )z2

K t

(An.21)

whichis knownto mathematicians

as thediffusionequation. For thespecialcaseof
horizontal,
two-dimensional
groundwater
flowin a confined
aquiferof constant
thickness
b
equationAH.21 simplifiesto

)2h 32h

So3h

(3x
2 (3y2 T
whereS = SsbandT = Kb.

Copyright American Geophysical Union

(A1'I.22)

Groundwater Modeling by
the Finite Element Method

Water Resources Monograph

Vol. 13

Appendix
II

467

In transient,
unsaturated
flow,thedegreeof saturationof theporous
mediawithinthe

controlvolumechanges
with time

6' -- o'(t)

(AH.23)

where0' is thedegreeof saturation.

Themassof fluid,withinthecontrolvolumeis now
pn0'instead
of lan.Substituting
thistermintoequation
AH.3gives

=(pn0
a ,)

(AII.24)

Expanding
thetermontheright-hand
sidof equation
AII.24 usingtheproduct
rulegiv

. + nO
.
(pn0')= pn0'+ p0,}n
,p

(AII.25)

Now
ifweassume
that
. >>. and
. >> , thelast
two
terms
ontherighthand
side
of
equation
AII.25 canbediscarded.
Takingp'soutsidethederivatives
in theleft-handside
of equation
AH.24andcancelling
p frombothsidesof equation
AII.24 gives

x(X)_
3 - z(uz)
(Uy)
= n--

(AII.26)

If wc nowsubstitute
Darcy'slaw for unsaturated
HowintoequationAII.26 wc have

ah

(K())
+

ah

(Kz())

(AII.27)

Recallingthedefinitionof volumetric
watercontent(0 = nO')we canwrite

n-- = ,

(AII.28)

If we definethespecificmoisturecapacityC()
dO

(AII.29)

where
Wisthepressure
headandrecallthedefinition
ofhydraulic
head(h= + z* ), we
canrewriteequationAII.27 as

(AII. 30)

whichis the equationfor transientunsaturated

flow. EquationAII.30 is alsoknownas

Richardsequation.

Copyright American Geophysical Union

Groundwater Modeling by
the Finite Element Method

Water Resources Monograph

468

Vol. 13

Derivation
of Equations
of Transient
Groundwater
FlowProblems

Problems

1. Derive thetransient,saturated
How equationin cylindricalcoordinates

)(KC3h'
Kr)h1 c3
Z' )h )/ c3h\ c3h
(AH.31)

2. Derivethetransient,unsaturated
flow equationin cylindricalcoordinates

= C(v)
(AII.32)

3. Rewriteequations
AII.31 andAII.32 for problems
withaxisymmctry.

Copyright American Geophysical Union