Abstract :
[en] The Hybrid Finite Element Mixing Cell (HFEMC) method is a flexible modelling technique particularly suited to mining problems. The principle of this method is to subdivide the modelled zone into several subdomains and to select a specific equation, ranging from the simple linear reservoir equation to the groundwater flow in porous media equation, to model groundwater flow in each subdomain. The model can be run in transient conditions, which makes it a useful tool for managing mine closure post-issues such as groundwater rebound and water inrushes.
The application of the HFEMC method to an abandoned underground coal mine near the city of Liege (Belgium) is presented. The case study zone has been discretized taking advantage of the flexibility of the method. Then, the model has been calibrated in transient conditions based on both hydraulic head and water discharge rate observation and an uncertainty analysis has been performed. Finally, the calibrated model has been used to run several scenarios in order to assess the impacts of possible future phenomena on the hydraulic heads and the water discharge rates. Among others, the simulation of an intense rainfall event shows a quick and strong increase in hydraulic heads in some zones coupled with an increase in associated water discharge rates. This could lead to stability problems in local hill slopes. These predictions will help managing and predicting mine water problems in this complex mining system.
Name of the research project :
Interuniversity Attraction Pole TIMOTHY (IAP Research Project P6/13)
FP6 Aquaterra GOCE 505428
Funding text :
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. The authors thank also the editor Geoff Syme, the reviewer Nick Robins and one anonymous reviewer for their constructive comments and suggestions that help improving greatly the paper.
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