Abstract
Dewatering operations often stop at mine closure. The ground water rebound can have undesirable consequences, which numerical models can help one understand and manage. However, classical modelling techniques are relatively unsuitable to these contexts. While spatially distributed and physically based models suffer difficulties due to the lack of data and the complexity of geological and hydrogeological conditions, black-box models are too simple to deal with the problems effectively. A new modelling method is proposed to simulate ground water environments in which water flows through mined (exploited) and unmined (unexploited) areas. Exploited zones are simulated using a group of mixing cells possibly interconnected by pipes. Unexploited zones are simultaneously simulated using classical finite elements. This combined approach allows explicit calculation of ground water flows around the mine and mean water levels in the exploited zones. Water exchanges between exploited zones and unexploited zones are simulated in the model using specifically defined internal boundary conditions. The method is tested on synthetic cases of increasing complexity, and first results from a real case study are presented.
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Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Walloon Region, which has financially supported this project, together with the “Institut Scientifique de Service Public” (ISSeP) and the “Association Intercommunale pour le Démergement et l’Epuration” (AIDE). Conceptual and numerical developments of the HFEMC approach have also been performed in the framework of the Interuniversity Attraction Pole TIMOTHY (IAP Research Project P6/13), which is funded by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO) and the European Integrated Project AquaTerra (GOCE 505428) with funding from the Community’s Sixth Framework Programme.
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Brouyère, S., Orban, P., Wildemeersch, S. et al. The Hybrid Finite Element Mixing Cell Method: A New Flexible Method for Modelling Mine Ground Water Problems. Mine Water Environ 28, 102–114 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-009-0069-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10230-009-0069-5