Efficient solution technique for dendritic channel networks using FEM

This paper presents an efficient solution algorithm for one-dimensional unsteady flow routing through a dendritic channel network system. The finite element method is used to solve the Saint Venant equations in all branches of the network simultaneously. The maximum active memory required is only 2N x 2N, where N = number of branches in the network. Importantly, the algorithm does not require any special node numbering schemes, and the nodes or elements can be numbered independently for each branch. The algorithm is also suitable for programming using a parallel processing computer. The solution technique can also be extended to finite difference methods.