Modeling parametric uncertainty in PDEs models via Physics-Informed Neural Networks

We provide an approach enabling us to employ physics-informed neural networks (PINNs) to propagate parametric uncertainty to model outputs. Our approach is applicable to systems where observations are scarce (or even lacking), these being typical situations associated with subsurface water bodies. Our physics-informed neural network under uncertainty (PINN-UU) integrates the space–time domain across which processes take place and uncertain parameter spaces within a unique computational domain. PINN-UU is then trained to satisfy the relevant physical principles (e.g., mass conservation) in the defined input domain. We employ a stage training approach via transfer learning to accommodate high-dimensional solution spaces. We demonstrate the effectiveness of PINN-UU in a scenario associated with reactive transport in porous media, showcasing its reliability, efficiency, and applicability to sensitivity analysis. PINN-UU emerges as a promising tool for robust uncertainty quantification, with broad applicability to groundwater systems. As such, it can be considered as a valuable alternative to traditional methods such as multi-realization Monte Carlo simulations based on direct solvers or black-box surrogate models. • PINN-UU, a physics informed neural network is introduced to solve PDEs with uncertain physical parameters. • PINN-UU accurately reproduces direct solver results for multiple parameter realizations. • A stage learning approach is employed to overcome convergence failures in the optimization problem.