Comprehensive Assessment of Simulation Tools for Analyzing Seepage Through Earthen Dams

Seepage is one of the primary reasons for the failure of earthen/embankment dams worldwide. As approximately 40% of earthen dams fail due to excessive and uncontrolled seepage, it is crucial to manage seepage in order to improve their stability and life. Numerical experiments are favored for predicting seepage flux under changing climatic conditions for earthen dams made of varying geological materials. In the present study, the application of numerical tools to analyze seepage through earthen dams is critically reviewed for popular software’s such as SEEP/W, ANSYS, HYDRUS, PLAXIS, MODFLOW, SVFLUX, and FEFLOW. An overview of governing equations and limitations of these models  is briefly explained along with their relative advantages. A comparative analysis is then carried out for a characteristic earthen dam using the simulation results of SEEP/W and FEFLOW. It has been found that the results obtained from FEFLOW are slightly accurate, and therefore, a detailed seepage study is finally being conducted for the Ambawali Dam, Haryana, India using FEFLOW. The results of this study can be used by field engineers in selecting the appropriate model(s) based on dam body and their surrounding conditions to manage the seepage flux effectively.