A coupled Mixed Finite Element Biot model for land subsidence prediction in the Beijing area
M. Ferronato, L. Gazzola, P. Teatini
Dept. of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering, University of Padova, Italy
N. Castelletto
Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA
L. Zhu
College of Resources Environment and Tourism, Capital Normal Univ., Beijing, China
ABSTRACT
A coupled Biot model based on a three-field formulation, namely displacement-pressure-velocity,
is set-up and used for the prediction of land subsidence in the Chaobai River alluvial
fan, China, north-east of Beijing. The area has a regional size and has been recently characterized
by a detailed statistical distribution of hydrofacies. The resulting model totals about 5 million
unknowns with strong heterogeneities in the hydraulic and geomechanical properties
distribution. The proposed numerical formulation allows for an efficient and accurate solution
for a sample discharge from an existing well field, thus proving a robust computational tool for
the forecast and management of the land subsidence risk in the area.
