COMSOL Multiphysics: A Novel Approach to Ground Water Modeling

This column reviews the general features of COMSOL Multiphysics (or simply COMSOL), including the Earth Science Module. COMSOL is a finite element modeling program used to solve a wide range of partial differential equations (PDEs) with applications ranging from acoustics to fluid flow. Flexibility within the software allows users to couple multiple PDEs within a single model domain (e.g. variably saturated ground water flow with heat transport) in addition to coupling of multiphysical problems within adjoining model domains (e.g. ground water flow coupled with surface water flow in a channel). COMSOL comes with a basic library of predefined PDEs for specific applications (Convection/ Diffusion, Fluid Dynamics, Heat Transfer, etc.), in addition to generalized PDEs that can be adapted for specific problems. The review was conducted in two parts with two different sets of reviewers. © 2009 National Ground Water Association.