The Use of COMSOL Multiphysics in Teaching Groundwater Flow and Transport

For teaching groundwater flow and transport we currently apply COMSOL Multiphysics software. We have two main goals. At first, to familiarise course participants with the basic concepts and phenomena of the subject. Second, to enable students to handle a modelling tool in general. We describe the fundamentals and give examples of exercises that include several features of the modelling options. The multiphysics concept, on which the software is built, is best suited for the modelling of hydrogeological systems, in which flow and transport are connected or even coupled. The user-friendly design of COMSOL makes the software well-suited for use in the class-room for both the above-mentioned purposes. The students benefit from the easy handling of model input, which is completely performed within the graphical user interface. Most striking are the post-processing options for numerical and graphical output.