A hybrid finite volume-finite element model for the numerical analysis of furrow irrigation and fertigation

Abstract

A B S T R A C TThis study presents a hybrid Finite Volume -Finite Element (FV-FE) model that describes the coupled surfacesubsurface flow processes occurring during furrow irrigation and fertigation. The numerical approach combines a one-dimensional description of water flow and solute transport in an open channel with a two-dimensional description of water flow and solute transport in a subsurface soil domain, thus reducing the dimensionality of the problem and the computational cost. The modeling framework includes the widely used hydrological model, HYDRUS, which can simulate the movement of water and solutes, as well as root water and nutrient uptake in variably-saturated soils. The robustness of the proposed model was examined and confirmed by mesh and time step sensitivity analyses. The model was theoretically validated by comparison with simulations conducted with the well-established model WinSRFR and experimentally validated by comparison with field-measured data from a furrow fertigation experiment conducted in the US.

Modeling the Translocation and Transformation of Chemicals in the Soil‐Plant Continuum: A Dynamic Plant Uptake Module for the HYDRUS Model

“…A classic example is to perform a sensitivity analysis on the model to investigate the impact of different parameters on some variables of interest. The sensitivity analysis is frequently used in modeling studies under different settings and aims (e.g., Brunetti et al, 2016;Brunetti et al, 2017;Brunetti, Šimůnek, & Bautista, 2018;Brunetti, Šimůnek, Turco, & Piro, 2018). In the present study, we apply a global sensitivity analysis to identify the most important factors among soil, plant, and chemical parameters that drive the accumulation of CBZ in spinach shoots.…”

“…Numerical models from vadose zone hydrology, which have been used extensively in the last decades (Jarvis & Larsbo, 2012;Šimůnek et al, 2016), offer great opportunities to head in this direction. In particular, Richards-based approaches have been used successfully in many applications and scientific fields (e.g., Brunetti et al, 2017Brunetti et al, , 2019Brunetti, Porti, & Piro, 2018;Brunetti, Šimůnek, & Bautista, 2018;Cheyns et al, 2010, Hanson et al, 2006, Jellali et al, 2016. Nolan et al (2005) compared the performance of the Richards-based and tipping bucket models in reproducing measured breakthrough curves of bromide and atrazine from two experimental facilities in Merced, California, and White River Basin, Indiana, respectively.…”

Modeling Two-Dimensional Infiltration with Constant and Time-Variable Water Depth

“…To identify influencing factors, they performed computer simulations using the HYDRUS-2D software. Brunetti et al [6] studied a hybrid Finite Volume-Finite Element (FV-FE) model that describes the coupled surface-subsurface flow processes occurring during furrow irrigation and fertigation. Furman [7] discussed some research gaps, led by the need to include vertical momentum transfer and to expand the use of fully coupled models toward surface irrigation applications.…”

“…6 show the results of infiltrated depth for three different soil textures, with two denser finite element meshes and a time step of 1.0 s.(c)…”

Optimizing Emitters’ Density and Water Supplies in Trickle Irrigation Systems

“…Because of their simplicity, the empirical methods remain enticing. 2) numerical approaches: several models were elaborated to simulate soil water distribution beneath point and linear sources (either buried or not) [9][10][11][12][13] . Despite their accuracy and usefulness for complex situations, numerical approaches are somewhat cumbersome and requires the previous knowledge of soil water properties.…”