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Leak 2D is a new two-dimensional dual permeability mathematical model for the simulation of the preferential flow in the vadose zone. In this model, water flow in the soil matrix domain is described by the two-dimensional h-based Richards' equation. Water flow in the fracture domain is estimated using the kinematic wave approach. Richards' equation is solved by a combination of the alternating direction implicit (A.D.I.) method and the Douglas and Jones predictor−corrector method. The kinematic wave equation is solved explicitly. In the present paper, Leak 2D is calibrated and validated with data obtained in a Hele–Shaw apparatus filled with sand. Preferential flow is achieved by inserting four artificial macropores of various sizes into the soil. Six irrigations of various intensities and durations were used for the calibration and validation process. The water content at various depths was recorded by five sensors that were inserted into the soil. A comparison of the simulated water content with the measured profiles shows that Leak 2D can sufficiently describe preferential flow into the unsaturated zone of the soil, even under extreme irrigation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The incompressible laminar isothermal flow of a Newtonian fluid at steady state around a surface-mounted rib is studied in a three-dimensional (3D) numerical experiment. The dimensionless Navier–Stokes equations are solved numerically using the Galerkin finite element method for Reynolds numbers 1 to 800. The expansion ratio of the problem is 1:9.6, while the aspect ratio is 1:20. The transition from the steady to the unsteady state and the identification of the critical Reynolds number are investigated in this paper. Numerical results of the skin-friction lines at the bottom and streamlines throughout the computational field are presented. A comparison between the 2D and 3D flow is made to show the effect of the walls on the flow, which reaches the plane of symmetry and affects the flow there; hence, also affecting the stability of the flow. It is concluded that the flow is three-dimensional even for a Reynolds number equal to 10. The critical Reynolds number is 600, and the steady-state equations can be used for any calculations up to this value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitro-pollution in a confined aquifer may originate from its recharge area, e.g., agricultural sites, animal feedlots, septic tanks, and other waste disposal sites or from treated wastewater recharge wells. The latter case is studied. Existing water supply pumping wells should be protected for a given period. Instead of typically investigating optimal pump-and-treat or hydrodynamic pollution control management/remediation strategies, a novel combined pollution control and pump-and-fertilize (PAF) approach is proposed: protect existing wells with additional wells, considering pumped nitro-polluted groundwater as profitable reusable fertilizer rather than a pollutant to be remediated; convey pumped polluted water to an irrigation reservoir, considering nitrogen (N) uptake by irrigated crops in nearby farmlands and proportional decrease in fertilizer application, meaning profit. Optimization entails the operation of optimally located additional pumping wells with optimal flow rates, minimizing the sum of (i) annual pumping cost, (ii) pipe network (connecting additional wells and reservoir) amortization cost, and (iii) profit from retrieved N reuse. Modflow simulates a 3D flow field and advection-dispersion mass transport, while Genetic Algorithms (GAs) handle optimization. Various scenarios are simulated concerning crops' retrieved N root uptake percentage, fertilizer, and energy market prices. The paper provides a data-ready optimization/decision support tool that creates a pool of alternative (sub)optimal management solutions/strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]