Application of the numerical modelling techniques to the simulation of groundwater flow in the Gwandu formation of the North-Western Nigeria basin

Abstract

This piece of work deals with the numerical simulation of groundwater flow in the Gwandu Sedimentary Formation, Sokoto Basin, with the aid of borehole data obtained from some locations, fairly distributed over the aquifer formation. The aquifer was modelled by the application of Finite Element Method (F.E.M), with appropriate initial and boundary conditions. The matrix solver technique adopted for the F.E.M. was that of the Conjugate Gradient Method. After the steady state calibration and transient verification, the model was used to predict the effect of pumping on hydraulic heads up to the year 2030. Findings in the simulation exercise reveal the importance of applying appropriate and reasonable initial and boundary conditions to the models to ensure reliability of output results.

Journal of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology Vol. 3(1) 2003: 13-18