Seminar - Abbas El-Zein - Moving Matter: The Life and Times of the Diffusion-Advection Equation

Wednesday, September 8, 2004, 1.10 - 1.50 pm
Civil Engineering Lecture Room 3

Abstract

The diffusion-advection equation (DAE) simulates problems involving the transfer of mass or energy through a medium. It has been used in a large number of scientific disciplines, including geotechnical, environmental, chemical and mechanical engineering, as well as pharmacology, physics and biogeochemistry. The seminar describes two ongoing research projects at the Centre for Geotechnical Research revolving around the DAE. The first project develops the concept of mass-transfer multiple-porosity which allows the modelling of contaminant migration in fractured soils as well as soils polluted with high-density petroleum products. The second project is a new finite-element method which uses exponential, rather than polynomial, interpolation functions to resolve numerical problems commonly encountered when solving the DAE. Finally, the seminar will describe software, developed at the department and readily available for use, for solving various forms of the DAE.