Integral equation techniques can be used to advantage to solve groundwater flow problems in realistic geological environments. However there are some disadvanatages. These include a problem in accommodating thin bodies as well as a difficulty in extending the technique to complex conductivity distributions.
The present investigation shows that Phillips' integral equation technique can produce accurate solutions with models comprising a relatively small number of contour elements. It is also found that Phillips' technique used in conjunction with linear elements is generally more suitable for groundwater modeling than when used with constant or quadratic elements.
Phillips' technique is specialised to a particular thin body integral equation which is suitable for modeling groundwater flow in an environment containing geological structure such as faults and thin beds.
Phillips' technique is also extended to a generalised form suitable for accommodating more complex groundwater environments. These involve both normal and thin composite beds.
In general implementation of the generalised technique requires a large computing capability because of the number of surface elements required to maintain the accuracy of the solutions. Consequently, an itnerative technique is proposed to overcome this problem and enable its implementation on very moderate computing facilities.