F.E. in environmental engineering: Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical processes in porous media including pollutant transport

his paper presents a general model for the analysis of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical problems in porous media with possible pollutant transport. The governing equations are described and discrete solution techniques using the finite element method in space and finite differences in time are shown. Emphasis is put on a direct solution procedure, where the coupled system of equations is solved without use of matrix partitioning. Both the Newton-Raphson method and fixed point method are employed. Application examples involving pollutant transport, heat and mass transfer in partially saturated geomaterials, dynamic strain localization and durability of concrete show the range of applicability of this model in the field of evironmental engineering.