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A Comparative Study of Finite Element and Finite Difference Methods for Two-Dimensional Space-Fractional Advection-Dispersion Equation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 December 2015

Guofei Pang ,
Wen Chen  and
Kam Yim Sze
Guofei Pang
Affiliation:
Institute of Soft Matter Mechanics, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Wen Chen*
Affiliation:
Institute of Soft Matter Mechanics, Department of Engineering Mechanics, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Kam Yim Sze
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong
*
*Corresponding author. Email:chenwen@hhu.edu.cn (W. Chen)
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Abstract

The paper makes a comparative study of the finite element method (FEM) and the finite difference method (FDM) for two-dimensional fractional advection-dispersion equation (FADE) which has recently been considered a promising tool in modeling non-Fickian solute transport in groundwater. Due to the non-local property of integro-differential operator of the space-fractional derivative, numerical solution of FADE is very challenging and little has been reported in literature, especially for high-dimensional case. In order to effectively apply the FEM and the FDM to the FADE on a rectangular domain, a backward-distance algorithm is presented to extend the triangular elements to generic polygon elements in the finite element analysis, and a variable-step vector Grünwald formula is proposed to improve the solution accuracy of the conventional finite difference scheme. Numerical investigation shows that the FEM compares favorably with the FDM in terms of accuracy and convergence rate whereas the latter enjoys less computational effort.

Keywords

26A3365D3265N0665N30Space-fractional derivativeadvection-dispersionfinite elementfinite difference
Type
Research Article
Information
Advances in Applied Mathematics and Mechanics , Volume 8 , Issue 1 , February 2016 , pp. 166 - 186
Copyright
Copyright © Global-Science Press 2016 

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