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| SEEP/W - Groundwater seepage analysis. |
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SEEP/W is a finite element software product for analyzing groundwater seepage and excess pore-water pressure dissipation problems within porous materials such as soil and rock. Its comprehensive formulation allows you to consider analyses ranging from simple, saturated steady-state problems to sophisticated, saturated-unsaturated time-dependent problems. You can apply SEEP/W to the analysis and design of geotechnical, civil, hydrogeological, and mining engineering projects.
SEEP/W can model both saturated and unsaturated flow, a feature that greatly broadens the range of problems that can be analyzed. In addition to traditional steady-state saturated flow analysis, the saturated/unsaturated formulation of SEEP/W makes it possible to analyze seepage as a function of time and to consider such processes as the infiltration of precipitation. The transient feature allows you to analyze such problems as the migration of a wetting front and the dissipation of excess pore-water pressure. Easy to Use
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Defining a Seepage/Air flow Model
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The unique CAD-like technology in SEEP/W allows you to generate your finite element mesh by drawing regions on the screen. You can then interactively apply boundary conditions and specify material properties. You can even estimate the material property functions from easily measured parameters like grain-size, saturated conductivity, saturated water content, and the air-entry value. If you make a mistake, you can correct it using the Undo command.
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Viewing the Analysis Results
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Once you have solved your seepage problem, SEEP/W offers many tools for viewing results. Generate contours or x-y plots of any computed parameter, such as head, pressure, gradient, velocity, and conductivity. Velocity vectors show flow direction and rate. Transient conditions can be shown as the changing water table position over time. Interactively query computed values by clicking on any node, Gauss region, or flux section. Then export results into other applications, such as Microsoft Excel or Word, for further analysis or to prepare presentations.
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Typical Applications
SEEP/W can model almost any groundwater problem, including:
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Dissipation of excess pore pressure after reservoir drawdown
Changes in pore-water pressure conditions within earth slopes due to infiltration of precipitation
Mounding of the groundwater table beneath water retention structures such as lagoons and tailings ponds
Effect of subsurface drains and injection wells
Drawdown of a water table due to pumping from an aquifer
Seepage flow quantities into excavations
Use AIR/W and consider the true matric suction (Ua-Uw) mechanisms
Integrate with TEMP/W and consider flow in freezing and thawing soils
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| Formulation |
Soil Properties
The hydraulic conductivity of the soil is a function of the negative pore-water pressure in the unsaturated regions. The rate of change in water content is dependent on the pore-water pressure during transient processes. Hydraulic conductivity can be defined as anisotropic in two orthogonal directions.
Iterative Process
The nonlinear nature of the finite element equations is handled using an efficient radial search iterative scheme. Graphing tools are available during run-time to help you judge if convergence has been achieved. This has proved to be extremely useful in solving highly nonlinear flow systems.
Flux Quantities
SEEP/W computes the total flux across single or multiple lines drawn through the mesh.
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| Features: |
- Analysis types include steady-state confined and unconfined flow, transient flow, 2-D flow in a cross-section or in plan view, and 3D axisymmetric flow.
- Boundary condition types include total head, pressure head, or flux specified as a constant or a function of time; pressure head; transient flux as a function of computed head; review and adjustment of seepage face conditions.
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- Volumetric water content and conductivity functions can be estimated from basic parameters and grain-size functions.
- Adaptive time stepping to ensure the use of optimal time steps in transient analyses with sudden changes in boundary conditions.
- Flow path deliniation.
- And many more!
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Dissipate excess pore-water pressures generated by SIGMA/W or QUAKE/W
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Excess pore-water pressures generated by static loading (e.g., fill placement) or by dynamic motion during an earthquake can be brought into SEEP/W to study how long it takes to dissipate the excess pressures.
Use SEEP/W pore-water pressures in SLOPE/W
Using finite element computed pore-water pressures in SLOPE/W makes it possible to deal with highly irregular saturated/unsaturated conditions or transient pore-water pressure conditions in a stability analysis. For example, you can analyze changes in stability as the pore-water pressure changes with time.
Use SEEP/W data inside a CTRAN/W model for contaminant transport, or a TEMP/W model for convective heat transfer analysis.
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Engineering Methodology Book |
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When you purchase a SEEP/W 2007 license you also receive a copy of the SEEP/W Engineering Methodology book, Seepage Modeling with SEEP/W 2007. This book is not a software manual but a full-length book that discusses why and how to model. It does not describe how to use the commands in the software or which buttons to click - that is provided in detail in the Online Help. Instead it is about thinking: how to think before, during and after setting up and solving a model. The Engineering Methodology book has chapters devoted to: |
| Numerical Modeling: What, Why and How
Geometry and Meshing
Material Models and Properties
Bounday Conditions
Analysis Types
Functions in GeoStudio
Numerical Issues
Simulation of Flow Nets
Visualization of Results
Modeling Tips and Tricks
Illustrative Examples
Theory |
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