Getting started with groundwater modelling using FEFLOW

INVESTMENT

Fee: No charge*

Groundwater hydrologists or hydrogeologist are often asked questions about groundwater flow, aquifer hydraulics, management of water resources, fate of contamination plumes or feasibility of geothermal systems, plus others.

Proving answers to all these questions requires specific field information and a general understanding of hydrogeological processes. Nature is not simple and even simple tasks require state-of-the-art supporting tools. A groundwater model provides a quantitative framework for synthesizing field information and for conceptualising hydrogeologic processes. The model is used as tool to assist consultants and engineers for getting possible answers to a specific groundwater problem.

This self-paced course will introduce you to the basic concept of groundwater modelling using FEFLOW. FEFLOW is the most intuitive and comprehensive software package for groundwater and porous media modelling. It can simulate a multitude of processes involving fluid flow, groundwater age, contaminant and heat transport under fully or variably-saturated conditions - from local to regional scale.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

The course has been designed for consultants, engineers, hydrogeologist and geologist with some basic understanding of hydrogeological concepts. If you are interested to get started with groundwater modelling and/or not yet familiar with the methods behind FEFLOW, then this course is perfect for you.

COURSE CONTENT

The self-paced course includes 12 modules that introduce you to the basic steps of groundwater modelling with FEFLOW. In each module you can find videos and/or reading materials, including short quizzes and assignments to reinforce the course knowledge.

• Module 1 - Introduction
• Module 2 - Theory of FEFLOW Supermesh
• Module 3 - Starting a new model
• Module 4 - Supermesh
• Module 5 - Finite-element mesh
• Module 6 - Problem Settings
• Module 7 - Boundary Conditions
• Module 8 - Material properties
• Module 9 - Simulation run
• Module 10 - Post-processing
• Module 11 - Final remarks

BENEFITS

After completing this course you will be able to start building your first groundwater model with FEFLOW. You will have learnt:

• To implement a conceptual model through the FEFLOW Supermesh concept,
• To build a finite-element mesh suitable for groundwater calculations and to verify its quality,
• To completely parametrize the model (materials and boundary conditions),
• To run the model and do a basic visualisation,
• To check the model results such as Hydraulic-head and global water budgets.

REQUIREMENTS

This is an online course so a reliable internet connection of sufficient bandwidth is critical. An installation of the DHI License Management and FEFLOW software is required for the completition of the hands-on exercises. This will be explained in the Module 1 of the training course.

If you are not familiar with basic terminology of Hydrogeology, e.g. definitions of aquifer properties (confined/unconfined systems, transmissivity, conductivity, etc.) and principles of groundwater flow (e.g. Darcy Law), it is strongly recommended to do a pre-reading of standard textbooks of Hydrogeology. Some literature is recommended in Module 1.

The self-paced course includes quizzes and evaluations.

This course is estimated to take around two hours to complete for the average participant. 

TRAINER

Dr. Carlos Rivera Villarreyes, DHI, works as Global Product Specialist for FEFLOW. Dr. Rivera has profound knowledge of groundwater and unsaturated-zone modelling as well as parameter estimation and uncertainty analysis (e.g., with PEST), all these in the context of mining applications among others. He has carried several groundwater modelling projects and trained professionals in groundwater modelling around the globe.

Dipl.-Ing. (FH), Civil Engineering, University of Piura, Peru; MSc, Desert Studies - Water Resources Management, Ben-Gurion University, Israel; PhD, Hydrology, University of Potsdam, Germany

CONTACT

If you  have technical trouble with the course, please contact the course designer:

Carlos Andres Rivera Villarreyes at cvi@dhigroup.com

For technical issues with this platform, please contact theacademybydhi@dhigroup.com

*In exchange for course access, you agree to receive marketing material from DHI group through e-mails, social media and apps about our products and services. You can unsubscribe anytime.