Custom FEFLOW IFMs

AquaResource is an industry leader in developing IFM programs for managing large groundwater models using FEFLOW.

Through our applied work with FEFLOW, AquaResource staff have conceptualized and developed dozens of FEFLOW add-on programs (IFMs) for large groundwater models.  Development and application of large-scale FeFlow models can lead to data management challenges. With millions of nodes and elements, each containing multiple properties, custom Interface Manager (IFM) tools can be used to streamline the input and output of complex sets of parameters as well as the evaluation of simulation results. Custom tools were used in the development and application of a number of large-scale three-dimensional models in Canada and the United States. The geologic complexity of these sites, the need to incorporate depth-dependent concepts, and the size of the supporting data led to the desire for custom data exchange and evaluation tools. These models typically consist of more than three million elements and complex property distributions (hydraulic conductivity, storage, porosity).

IFM tools developed for data import/export provide a structured data exchange mechanism that 1) dramatically reduces time requirements, 2) provides a means of tracking multiple calibration scenarios and 3) avoids potential human errors. In doing-so it allows AquaResource models to be more efficiently developed and applied. IFM tools have also been used to aid in assessing model results.  As an example, an IFM tool was developed to export independent sub-sections of large model domains for detailed visualization; this facilitates focused evaluation of complex interactions within sub-domain regions of the model. Further, the AquaResource team has developed IFM tools to evaluate hydraulic heads, water budgets and model sensitivity.  For more information, please send us an email.