Uma solução para a equação de Richards em perfis de solos em camadas com a abordagem de domínio único

This article aims to develop a Richards equation solution for one-dimensional water flow through layered soil profiles, using a single domain approach. A mathematical formulation was proposed in which a transition function is inserted in the modeling to smooth out the discontinuities present at the interfaces. The Method of Lines (MOL), together with a finite volume scheme, is used to solve it. A comparison is made between the results obtained and those in the literature to verify the model. For all the cases studied, a convergence analysis was carried out, and numerical experiments were performed to analyze the influences of the physical parameters Ks and α. Results were obtained in terms of moisture content (θ) and converted in hydraulic pressure (ψ), showing good agreement with the literature values. Such results showed that the problem in a single domain approach could deal with the discontinuity present at the interfaces; this way, the suggested transition function is viable to solve the Richards equation.