Analog verification of the Transient Land Drainage equation using LabVIEW-Arduino atmega microcontroller

Abstract Several research papers experimentally validated the derived theoretical solution of the partial differential equation (PDE) of Transient Land Drainage (TLD) using laboratory sand tanks, Hele-Shaw models, resistance networks, and field data. In this research, the main objective is to use an Arduino microcontroller linked with the LabVIEW software to derive experimentally-by using an RC analog circuit connected to the Arduino microcontroller - a solution to Kirchhoff’s partial differential equation describing the unsteady electrical flow through the RC circuit. The RC circuit electrically simulates a non-dimensional virtual aquifer for which an experimental Fourier sine series solution in terms of the analog components is to be derived and used for comparison with the theoretical Fourier sine series solution of the transient partial differential equation of land drainage. The derived Fourier sine series solution of the partial differential equation governing the unsteady electrical flow through the RC analog is written in a non-dimensional form to enable its general application to the case study of this research. Isochrones of the water table drawdown based on those derived from the analog solution are similar in trend and behavior to those of the theoretical solution, indicating that both Fourier solutions are physically and mathematically identical.