SEEP/W is a finite element CAD software product for analyzing groundwater seepage and excess pore-water pressure dissipation problems within porous materials such as soil and rock. Its comprehensive formulation allows you to consider analyses ranging from simple, saturated steady-state problems to sophisticated, saturated/unsaturated time-dependent problems. SEEP/W can be applied to the analysis and design of geotechnical, civil, hydrogeological, and mining engineering projects.

SEEP/W can model both saturated and unsaturated flow, a feature that greatly broadens the range of problems that can be analyzed. In addition to traditional steady-state saturated flow analysis, the saturated/unsaturated formulation of SEEP/W makes it possible to analyze seepage as a function of time and to consider such processes as the infiltration of precipitation. The transient feature allows you to analyze such problems as the migration of a wetting front and the dissipation of excess pore-water pressure.

Easy to Use
Defining a Seepage/Air flow Model
Beginning an analysis is as simple as defining the geometry by drawing regions and lines that identify soil layers, or by importing a DXF? file. Then graphically apply boundary conditions and specify material properties. Material properties can be estimated from easily measured parameters like grain-size, saturated conductivity, saturated water content, and the air-entry value.

Viewing the Analysis Results
Once you have solved your seepage analysis, SEEP/W offers many tools for viewing results. Generate contours or x-y plots of any computed parameter, such as head, pressure, gradient, velocity, and conductivity. Velocity vectors show flow direction and rate. Transient conditions can be shown as a changing water table over time. Interactively query computed values by clicking on any node, Gauss region, or flux section. Then prepare the results for your report by adding labels, axes, and pictures, or export the results into other applications such as Microsoft? Excel? for further analysis.

Typical Applications
SEEP/W can model almost any groundwater problem, including:
Dissipation of excess pore pressure after reservoir drawdown
Changes in pore-water pressure conditions within earth slopes due to infiltration of precipitation
Mounding of the groundwater table beneath water retention structures such as lagoons and tailings ponds
Effect of subsurface drains and injection wells
Drawdown of a water table due to pumping from an aquifer
Seepage flow quantities into excavations
Use AIR/W and consider the true matric suction (Ua-Uw) mechanisms
Integrate with TEMP/W and consider flow in freezing and thawing soils
plus many more!


Features

Analysis types include steady-state confined and unconfined flow, transient flow, 2-D flow in a cross-section or in plan view, and 3D axisymmetric flow.

Boundary condition types include total head, pressure head, or flux specified as a constant or a function of time; pressure head; transient flux as a function of computed head; review and adjustment of seepage face conditions.
Volumetric water content and conductivity functions can be estimated from basic parameters and grain-size functions.

Adaptive time stepping to ensure the use of optimal time steps in transient analyses with sudden changes in boundary conditions.
Flow path deliniation.

And many more!