Carlos Andres Rivera Villarreyes Global Product Specialist - FEFLOW

Hi,

You can make the assignment of the pumping wells via the Parameter Association Dialog (right click on a specific file in the Map panel). Here, you can find several ways for Neighborhood Relationship. In the help system there is a fill description of all variables.
In principle, it is always recommended to make a local refinement around pumping wells in order to improve the numerical solution. So, if you are not very far with the model setup, I would highly recommend you to go back to the Supermesh View and reformulate your conceptual model (e.g. include new wells, generate new mesh with local refinements, etc.).

Cheers,

Carlos

Hi Adam,

If a client command does not complete FePEST gives up after <Timeout> seconds, but then repeats the failed command. The idea behind this is to try to make FePEST tolerant of temporary network problems.

We have tried starting a FePEST server with an invalid FEFLOW license and ran a parallelized FePEST problem. The server log repeated the message “not licensed”, just as you mentioned. However, pressing stop on the client cancelled the PEST run, after a short delay. (In some cases it may be necessary to stop the server first). So, we weren't able to reproduce your problem, just by making the license unavailable. I guess what your workflow must have been slightly different.

Cheers,

Carlos

Hi Adam,

Here we go...

The default Timeout is 30000 msecs (= 30 seconds), which is the time the client or server waits until assuming that the requested operation failed, and repeats it. This default value is also the default of the underlying library function used by FePEST. It may be possible to lower this without side effects, but beware, if the network is responding badly, or if the FEM is very large then a low timeout could mean client/server communication can never succeed. You can modify its value with a registry entry named Timeout.

In general you can track errors using the log FePEST file: %TEMP%\.fepest62\log.txt

To forcibly stop PEST, you should use red stop button. Sometimes you may have to wait a number of seconds until it works. This is because is carrying out the last FEFLOW run. The black Kill button is more brutal, and kills the process and so should be used only if the red stop button fails.

Cheers,

Carlos

Hi Adam,

Good to know that you are intensively testing new features in FePEST! Here some ideas you could use in your workflow:

- FePEST can be started in server mode directly from the command line:
e.g. [color=red]"C:\Program Files\WASY\FEFLOW 6.2\bin64\fepest62.exe" -mode=server[/color]

- You can alter the port on which the FePEST server (where the slaves run)  using a registry setting. This should be created in the following manner:
e.g. [color=red][HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\DHI-WASY\FEFLOW Parameter Estimation] --> "Port"=dword:000013bb[/color]

- This registry setting must also be set on the client (master) computer. Please note, the input is in hexadecimal but you can also choose decimal using regedit. Deal with careful any modification in the Registry Editor, incorrect changes can affect FePEST installation. The port on which BeoPEST runs, is set in the FePEST Settings dialog on the Parallelization page.

- PSLAVE.EXE is part of the parallel pest solution PPEST. FePEST uses BEOPEST (third-party software) and, as stated above, this port is specified in the FePEST Settings.

Hope I could clarify your doubts. Let me know you have other questions under specific circumstances of your network.

Cheers,

Carlos

Hi nnoufysalam,

I can give some general tips for your purpose. Of course there are so many details to handle via forum.

Regarding to the concentration boundaries of river water or sea water, you need to know first the groundwater flow direction. Do you have issues of seawater intrusion? If so, it is good to prescribe a fixed concentration on these nodes. If you have outflow from the model to the river boundary all the time, concentration may not be necessarily prescribed, just leave that FEFLOW computes these values. But if you want to simulate the interaction between river and aquifer, then concentration should be prescribed in case of inflow from river to aquifer.
FEFLOW provides possibility to use the so-called constraints in order to activate or deactivate boundary conditions. I guess you can find additional info in the forum and for sure in user manual and help system.

For the case of the artificial pond, you can prescribe both water levels and concentration as Dirichlet boundary condition, if these are known.
Percolation flux from the artificial pond can be easily computed using budget panels. There is a plenty of information about this in FEFLOW User Manual and Help System.

Hope you get some idea how to start...

Cheers,

Carlos

Hi Adam,

Thanks for sending us your files. After developer checked case, he could reproduce your problem. The reason is that the FEM file was saved in ASCII format. If you save in a binary format, problem is gone.

A future version of FePEST will handle this special case, but until then please use this workaround.

Cheers,

Carlos

Hi Adam,

Thanks a lot for reporting this. Could you please send us both fem and fps files to the FEFLOW support address?

Cheers,

Carlos

In FEFLOW 6.2, there is not need to import heads from a steady-state solution to a transient model. This is done automatically when you save steady state model (after computation ends) in a new fem file. New fem file will have final results from previous run as initial conditions for next run. In three steps: [b]a)[/b] run steady-state model, [b]b)[/b] save model in a new fem file, and [b]c)[/b] advance new model to transient simulation (Problem Settings).

In case you have a transient model and you run simulation twice, now FEFLOW will ask you to modify the time-stepping control parameters (initial time and final time). Also a message will pop up stating that "[i]The simulation will be continued starting at the current simulation time[/i]".

Cheers,

Carlos

In the new FEFLOW 6.2, 3D models with an unconfined layer (Free and Movable approach) cannot support deactivation of finite elements. Since the Free-Movable approach makes a down-scaling of conductivity based on the movable slice position (avoid non-fully-saturated elements), it is not possible to offer deactivation of elements here at the moment.

Recently-released FEFLOW 6.2 includes FePEST, a convenient graphical user interface for using PEST with FEFLOW models. One important capability of this new FePEST is the so-called [b]IFM-Implemented functionality[/b]. Although FePEST includes most relevant FEFLOW parameter types and observation types for being associated with PEST, the IFM-implemented functionality provides an additional range of possibilities. Clearly, the operation of this functionality requires certain knowledge of IFM Programming in FEFLOW.

The intention of this post is to provide a general overview of the workflow. In this simple example, a plug-in computes first the depth to groundwater in the form of [b]user nodal distribution[/b] in FEFLOW and second it writes a text file (ObsIFM.DAT) with average depth for the entire model domain. Text file contains a single row. This average depth to groundwater will be subsequently used as an observation definition in FePEST in [b]Prediction mode[/b] for the evaluation of worst-case scenario (maximum aquifer drawdown). General steps for IFM-implemented observations are described below. Notice that these steps may vary depending on information retrieved with IFM plug-in.

1) IFM plug-in should be loaded and attached to the FEFLOW fem file for later used in FePEST.

2) Create a new FePEST problem (see help system for further information) and define parameters and observations (normal workflow).

3) Define a new observation definition using [b]#IFM-Implemented#[/b] as entries for both [b]definition[/b] and [b]source[/b].

4) Save the FePEST problem and create three PEST main files (and pilot point files, if needed) with [b]CHECK[/b] routine button and/or [b]RUN[/b] button in FePEST. Notice that a name of IFM-implemented observation is required. This name will appear in the PEST Instruction file (*.INS) and follows same regulations than PEST classical run.

5) Until here, FePEST creates all needed information. This can be reviewed any time from the work directory (menu [b]Estimation – Open work folder in explorer[/b] in FePEST).

By default, FePEST cites [b]IFM-implemented observation[/b] in the INS file, together with all other observations defined (e.g. hydraulic head, temperature, concentration, groundwater age, etc. specified in observation points). Therefore, IFM plug-in should be also able to write other observations in its output file when FEFLOW runs. Otherwise, it is highly recommended to create a second INS file containing only IFM-implemented observation (this option is explained below).

6) Open PST file from FePEST working directory and modify [b]NINSFILE[/b] variable. This is placed by default in [color=red][b]Line 5 and Column 3[/b][/color]. [b]NINSFILE[/b] refers to the number of INS files used in the PEST problem.

7) In the PST file, go to section [b]model input/output[/b], here the link between PEST Instruction file (*.INS) and results written by IFM Plug-in should be indicated. Write a new third row, e.g. [b]“ifm.ins” “ObsIFM.dat”[/b], where file named ifm.ins should contain as many rows as IFM-implemented observations. Make sure that output file from IFM plug-in should be written in FePEST work folder; otherwise full file path should be indicated in this section.

8) In FePEST, click on [b]Open work folder in console window[/b] from Estimation menu.

9) Run check routine for PEST control file: [b]pestchek fepest_name.pst[/b].

10) If errors are not found in item 9, run FePEST (or PEST from console window with [b]run_pest.bat[/b]).

The IFM-Implemented functionality in FePEST is a convenient manner to get access and use FEFLOW User Data in PEST optimization problems.


Carlos Rivera