Strack Consulting

The Analytic Element Method

Courses

Introduction

The short course will be on modeling groundwater flow and contaminant transport using the Analytic Element Method. The course is intended primarily for groundwater professionals and scientists interested in modeling groundwater flow using the analytic element method. Course participants may obtain a license to SLAEM for $250. The emphasis will be on:

  • A step by step coverage of the theoretical basis of the analytic element method.
  • A detailed coverage of the use of SLAEM. Elementary and cost-effective computations designed to gain insight in a variety of practical groundwater flow problems.
  • An introduction to modeling with the multi layer analytic element model MLAEM.

The instructor will emphasize the importance of determining elementary solutions prior to engaging in computer modeling.

The course will be extremely intensive: prior experience with similar courses both in Europe and the USA demonstrated the benefits of an intensive program with the participants playing an active role.

Subject Matter

  • Flow of groundwater: Basic principles, theory, elementary solutions, transient flow, and convective transport with retardation and decay.
  • The Analytic Element Method: The method was developed by the instructor at the University of Minnesota specifically for modeling regional flow. This method has been used intensively over many years in Minnesota, Sweden and the Netherlands; it is now gaining recognition in the USA as a powerful alternative to traditional numerical methods. The method is described in detail in the textbook Groundwater Mechanics by O.D.L. Strack, 1989, Prentice Hall, now published by Strack Consulting, Inc. (see also the Special Issue of the Journal of Hydrology devoted to the Analytic Element Method; Vol. 226, 1999).
  • Capture zone analysis using SLAEM.
  • Contaminant transport: The principles of elementary contaminant transport, as well as implementation in the computer models.
  • Modeling the interaction between surface water and aquifers via leakage. Distribution of leakage along river and lake bottoms, and its proper representation in computer models.
  • Modeling interaction between aquifers via leakage.
  • Modeling transient flow using analytic elements.

Format

The lectures will be given utilizing equipment that projects on one screen both the text and graphics produced by a computer; all participants will see both text and graphics from their seats. Computers will be used for both modeling and to supplement the lectures by producing piezometric contours and streamlines for a variety of flow cases. The audience will be seated behind PC’s running either Microsoft Windows NT or 95 with MLAEM and SLAEM installed. The computer programs SLAEM and MLAEM support a graphical user interface (GUI) and are windows programs. Output is supported via DXF files (e.g. to Archinfo or AutoCAD) and BNA files (e.g. to Surfer.) There will be one machine for every two participants. The lectures are interspersed with problem/computer sessions. As a rule there will be one hour of problem/computer session for each two hours of lectures during the day. The problem session will involve computer usage from the beginning. The evenings are devoted primarily to problem/ computer sessions.

Who Should Attend

The course is intended for engineers and scientists interested in the analytic element method for groundwater modeling, and in field problems of groundwater flow and transport. Considerable individual attention can be given during the problem/computer sessions; people with a variety of backgrounds can therefore be accommodated. Minimum requirements, however, are a working knowledge of elementary algebra and differential calculus.

Benefits

  • The participants will:
  • Receive lecture notes taken from Groundwater Mechanics.
  • Learn how to carry out analyses prior to setting up the problem on a computer.
  • Learn how to use the computer programs SLAEM and MLAEM.
  • Be given a discount on SLAEM (obtain SLAEM for $ 250; regular price $ 600).
  • Receive a CD-ROM with the Demo version

Instructions

Otto D.L. Strack, Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Minnesota, developer of the Analytic Element Method. He has a Ph.D. (1973) in Civil Engineering from the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. His research and teaching centers around computer modeling of groundwater flow and transport using analytic elements. Among other projects, he has applied analytic element techniques to predict the regional effect of the Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway and the neighboring aquifers and to construct groundwater models of portions of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. The Dutch government agency Rijkswaterstaat is currently using Dr. Strack’s methods to model the entire groundwater situation in the Netherlands. He is also the author of Groundwater Mechanics, 1989, Prentice Hall (now published by Strack Consulting, Inc.)

Kelton D. Barr, CPG, PHg., president and principal hydrogeologist, Kelton Barr Consulting, Inc. will conduct a modeling session.

John K. Seaberg, PG, CPG, CGWP, hydrogeologist with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency’s Twin Cities Metropolitan Area Groundwater Model, will provide hands-on experience with a practical application of SLAEM.

Graduate students at the University of Minnesota may assist during the modeling sessions.

Course Schedule

Morning sessions begin at 9:00 a.m. each day with a break for lunch at 12:00. Dinner break is at 5:00 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. participants reconvene for a computer lab until 8:30 p.m. The short course will conclude at 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

Day 1

  • Basic principles of groundwater flow
  • Types of flow
  • Elementary solutions
  • Introduction to using SLAEM

Day 2

  • Theory of analytic element modeling
  • Regional modeling
  • Capture zone analysis using SLAEM
  • Multi layer analytic element modeling
  • Introduction to using MLAEM

Day 3

  • Advanced Analytic Elements
  • Transient Flow
  • Streamlines and pathlines in three dimensions
  • Contaminant transport in three dimensions

Day 4

  • Parameter estimation
  • Case histories
  • Application to field problems

Tuition

Tuition (including notes and lunch) $ 900.00.

Registration

Participation in the short course is limited to 12 people and by pre-registration only. Strack Consulting, Inc. reserves the right to cancel the course if necessary. Registration, or intention to register, must be received at Strack Consulting, Inc. by April 13, 2004. The registration fee will be refunded if Strack Consulting, Inc. cancels the short course.

Location

The short course will be held at the Strack residence in North Oaks, MN. North Oaks is a suburb of St. Paul.

Lodging Information
There are numerous hotels and motels in the vicinity of North Oaks. For information on lodging, please contact Strack Consulting, Inc.

Continuing Education Units

Individuals completing this course will be awarded 2 CEU credits. One CEU is defined as ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction. Strack Consulting, Inc. maintains a permanent record of CEUs.

Tax Deduction of Expenses

An income-tax deduction is allowed for expenses of education (including registration fees, travel, meals, lodging) undertaken to maintain and improve professional skills.

Notice
Strack Consulting reserves the right to cancel the course if there are less than 6 registrants at the time of registration deadline.

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