A DRM for steady water absorption from different types of periodic channels

Abstract

In this paper, problems involving steady infiltration from a homogeneous soil with water absorption by plant roots are studied. Different geometries of periodic channels are considered. The governing equation of the problems is a Richards equation. This equation may not be solved analytically. Hence, a numerical method is needed. To do so, the equation is transformed into a modified Helmholtz equation using a set of transformations involving Kirchhoff transformation, dimensionless variables and an exponential transformation. The modified Helmholtz equation is then solved numerically using a Dual Reciprocity Method (DRM) with a predictor-corrector scheme. Results obtained from channels with different geometries are presented.