FORECASTING MINERAL SUPPLY FROM MINERAL RENT DATA

An optimal control model of exhaustible resources is used to clarify the long run relationship between mineral rent and depletion cost at the industry level. A standard first order condition of the time rate of change of rents is reformulated to reveal that rent data may be used to help forecast the rise in extraction costs resulting from resource depletion. This application of the theory of exhaustible resources is illustrated using historical mineral industry rent and extraction cost data. A forecast of U.S. coal extraction costs, following the method proposed in this paper, suggests that future rates of extraction cost increases will be similar to rates experienced in the past.     

An unstructured mesh finite volume method for modelling saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers

In this paper, a two-dimensional finite volume unstructured mesh method (FVUM) based on a triangular background interpolation mesh is developed for analysing the evolution of the saltwater intrusion into single and multiple coastal aquifer systems. The model formulation consists of a ground-water flow equation and a salt transport equation. These coupled and non-linear partial differential equations are transformed by FVUM into a system of differential/algebraic equations, which is solved using backward differentiation formulas of order one through five. Simulation results are compared with previously published solutions where good agreement is observed.     

Krylov subspaces and the analytic grade

Typical behaviour of the solution of a linear system of equations obtained iteratively by Krylov methods can be characterized by three stages. Initially the residual diminishes steadily; this is followed by stagnation and finally rapid convergence near the algebraic grade. This study examines this behaviour in terms of the concepts of approximately invariant subspace and what we have called the analytic grade of a Krylov sequence. It is shown how the small Ritz values play a vital role in the convergence and how this knowledge helps in the construction of an effective preconditioner. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On a zero equation model of turbulence

In this paper we study a widely used zero equation model of turbulence. The governing equations are derived by applying to the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations the Reynolds time averaging procedure. We achieve closure by employing the eddy viscosity concept. Using the Implicit Function Theorem we obtain an existence and uniquencess result. We also discuss the existence of nonsingular solutions. Finally, we present an algorithm for solving the modeled equations.