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Contaminated soils and groundwater in industrial environment
Contaminated soils and groundwater in industrial environment
Actors in heavy industry often face major problems related to the spread of underground pollution. Their origin is sometimes historical, sometimes accidental with environmental and socio-economic consequences that are often very heavy to bear for the operator.
In order to anticipate and eliminate these problems, ARTESIA uses its Predictive technologies (patented processes leading to robust, reliable and illuminating 3D hydrogeological models) to serve its industrial customers and complements its services with KRIGIS software, the ideal virtual assistant offering a clear view via augmented reality of the condition of the underground of our customers. Thanks to this ergonomic tool, they are then able to respond effectively to the challenges of management of underground contamination.
The standard solutions implemented by ARTESIA in these pollution contexts are:
- The identification of leaks from the hydraulic network of the plant
- Identification of primary and secondary pollution sources
- The design of containment well barriers
- The design of reactive barriers
- The design of drainage systems
- The design of injection systems
- The design of a surveillance network
- The development of an emergency plan decision tree (leaks, well breakdowns, etc.)
- The deployment of a 3D hydrogeological model of the underground, a decision-making tool throughout the life of the industry
- Making our KRIGIS software available to the plant manager
Our advanced expertise combined with the predictive reliability of our products generates the following benefits for our industrial customers:
- Strategic and effective communication
- A preserved public image
- A comprehensive understanding of pollution for better anticipatory and responsible management
- The drastic reduction of the risks related to lawsuits, long and expensive clean-ups, plant production stoppages and major health risks.
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Mining and quarrying dewatering
Mining and quarrying dewatering
In order to conduct its operations efficiently and in a rational way, the extractive industry has to face several issues such as obtaining environmental permits associated with the extraction of groundwater, minimizing its impact on the aquifer resource, securing its investments and reliable planning of its exploitation scheme. ARTESIA responds to these challenges by implementing its predictive 3D hydrogeological modeling technology, resulting in the following model solutions:
- Effective Communication with the Administration
- Deployment of a reliable 3D hydrogeological model as a Decision Support tool throughout the lifetime of exploitation, with the ability to:
- Predict the spatial and temporal evolution of the mine drainage flows and cones of depression of the groundwater table
- Assess the risk of overexploitation of the groundwater and design preventive compensation measures such as the recovery of wastewater or the establishment of a piezometric monitoring network
- Realize the design of an efficient and reasoned dewatering (optimized implantation and catchments types)
- Carry out the design of secure settling basins by eliminating the risk of contaminant leaks in the underground and dyke breaches
- Optimize operation phasing
Our advanced expertise combined with the predictive reliability of our technology generates the following benefits for our mining customers:
- Obtaining operating permits
- A preserved public image
- Proactive and responsible management
- Amortization of energy costs through solutions of minewater recycling (geothermal energy and provision for the drinking water network)
- Securing investments
- Economic optimization of the operation
- The drastic reduction of the risks associated with long and costly sanitation as well as major health risks.
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Groundwater catchment
Groundwater catchment
Our aquifer resource is pumped through catchments, springs, drainage galleries for multiple applications:
- Drinking water for public water supply
- Industries (agro-food, brewing, aquaculture, etc.)
- Watering (irrigation of agricultural lands, sports grounds, public lands, etc.)
- Production of mineral water
- Underground civil construction sites
- Heat / cold production (geothermal)
In this scope of action, ARTESIA offers its expertise and predictive technology to its customers to deliver the following solutions adapted to the complexity and sensitivity of contexts:
- Effective Communication with the Administration
- Project management of drilling sites, pumping and tracing tests
- Determination of the optimal throughput of catchments
- Physico-chemical characterization of the exploited groundwater
- Assessment of the sustainability of the aquifer resource and its behavior according to consumption designs
- Determination of protection areas
- Deployment of a 3D hydrogeological model allowing quantitative and qualitative management of the resource.
In this way, ARTESIA brings the following benefits:
- Obtaining operating permits
- Controlling the risks of soil settling
- Perpetuating catchments
- Securing investments
- Securing the exploited aquifer resource
Example of a hydrogeological model to replicate the groundwater catchment of SPA MONOPOLE in the Spa region for its production of natural mineral water in order to assess the risks of contamination of this water in connection with aircraft crashes from the Spa-La Sauvenière airfield.
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Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Energy
ARTESIA has become a leading reference in its contribution to the energy transition, using its expertise to support one of the solutions of the energy mix that is open geothermal energy, the one that add value to the groundwater.
This technology consists in collecting groundwater, using its calories and cooling capabilities for heating and air conditioning purposes, and then optimally returning it to the “source” aquifer or a nearby river. This technology makes full sense when aquifer potentials allow it and the required thermal power exceeds 100 kW.
ARTESIA uses its expertise and technology on behalf of prestigious clients who trust it, for ambitious and innovative projects of recovery of groundwater, springs, old galleries and minefields for geothermal energy use, storage, hydro-electricity and circular economies.
ARTESIA is also selected as an expert as part of a scientific research conducted by the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium that aims to understand the hydrogeology of the Paleozoic base of the Brussels region and its surroundings, determine its aquifer and economic potential for the deployment of open geothermal energy solutions. In this context, ARTESIA becomes the expert to understand and prevent the interactions of nearby geothermal systems using its robust and reliable predictive technology (interactions between existing systems of the “Gare Maritime” building and neighbouring buildings of the Brussels and Flemish Administrations).
Based on its expert opinion on the appropriateness of considering such a technology, ARTESIA custom-plans the optimal techno-economic process to achieve a high-performance and sustainable geothermal system. ARTESIA’s technology also provides storage opportunities that increase performances.
ARTESIA implements the hydrogeological characterization phases necessary to understand groundwater behaviour at the local and regional levels. The 3D hydrogeological model integrating and reproducing all the field measurements is then exploited as a tool to assist in the decision and to establish the optimized design of the configuration of pumps and injections. The success of such geothermal energy systems depends on the ability to reliably understand and integrate complex underground behaviors (heterogeneity of underground flows and heat transport in the basement) in order to avoid ultimately the system’s performance decline or even its abandonment. It is in that sense that ARTESIA is a quality reference and effectively supports and advises its customers who want to value the energy of their underground.
It is thus possible to valorize groundwater with the following benefits:
- A decrease in the carbon footprint
- An attractive return on investment compared to carbon-emitting systems
- Improved public image
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Groundwater lowering
Groundwater lowering
Some of the civil engineering structures interact with groundwater, specifically underground parking projects, tunnels and metro stations, decontamination works by excavation, etc.
In order to control and anticipate the behavior of groundwater in the construction phase and life phase of such projects, ARTESIA provides advices from the characterization phase of the underground to the deployment of its 3D predictive technology and the monitoring of the construction site. The 3D model gives reliable answers to the initial hydrogeological questions asked such as:
- What will be the flows of the water streams, how will they evolve depending on depth and time?
- What will be the mass flow of pollutants to be treated in case of contamination of the underground?
- Is there a risk of a dam effect resulting from constructive choices and what will be their impact on the water table and the risks of flooding?
- What will be the potential effects of soil settling in time and space?
- Are hydraulic links with the surface water system to be feared?
- What will be the hydrostatic pressure under the basal watertightness in case of flood on the edge of an alluvial water table or in case of periods of high water?
- How will the cones of influence on the water table evolve in space and time?
- What will be the underground constructive choices as well as the optimal dewatering methods?
The contractor or project proponent is then able to reliably anticipate the technical, administrative and economic management of his site.
ARTESIA thus contributes to major mobility projects in large cities such as:
Example of the 3D model used to assess the hydrogeological impacts of the Brussels metro extension project (Metro Nord project) in terms of groundwater dewatering and rising, management of drained flows and risk of settlements
And other construction projects as illustrated here:
Example of the 3D model used to assess the impacts of an underground parking project in Wavre in terms of groundwater dewatering and rising and management of drained flows.
Example of the 3D model used to evaluate the flows drained by an excavation project for the remediation of a contaminated area in Luxembourg.
Example of the 3D model used to evaluate the flows drained by an apartment building project with 3 to 4 levels of underground parking lots, validation of the technical feasibility, optimization of the depth of the secant piles to ensure sufficient sealing, determination of the upward pressures under the building related to flooding of the nearby Meuse river.
TDU Bavaria / Muse-Geocamb with the stakes of a nearby geothermal energy project
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Waste and leachate storage
Waste and leachate storage
Products and co-products that cannot be recycled by industrial actors must be stored in a secure and controlled manner. The storage methods differ according to a serie of characteristics that are specific to the nature of the production process, the waste and the overall context of the site.
Waste storage is conventionally liquid (settling tanks) or solid and is in a context associated with major issues such as:
- Obtaining or regularizing operating licences
- The risk of dykes instabilities (settling basins) and stockpiles (stacks of solid materials) that could generate potentially significant contaminations downstream of the site;
- The risks of leaching of waste into the groundwater and its subsequent contamination.
ARTESIA uses its expertise and predictive tools to address these issues by:
- Effective communication;
- Tailor-made technical solutions for geometric storage design, leachate collection system, groundwater monitoring network, basal sealing complex coupled with efficient drainage system;
- The choice of optimal technical alternatives;
- Optimisation of geographical storage choices according to the hydrogeological context, the nature of the waste and the related health risks;
- The return on investment calculation of the construction of new storage sites.
In this way, our customers benefit from efficient administrative regularisation of their waste exploitation while making optimized strategic choices under the environmental, economic and social constraints they face.
Example of a quarry backfilled by inert materials
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Flood
Flood
Land use planning faces increased risks of flooding from the increasing loss of buffer areas and rainwater infiltration combined with global warming. It generates rainy events that are becoming more and more intense and therefore more and more difficult to absorb by the surface water network.
Therefore, existing or planned real estate projects face directly these flood challenges when they are located in hazardous or preferential runoff areas. The consequences are manifold and in many cases result in material or even human losses if the risks are not reliably and seriously measured.
In order to anticipate these risks and if necessary define the appropriate protection measures, ARTESIA uses its robust and reliable predictive technology, based in particular on field campaigns involving the characterization of the hydrographic network as well as the various constructive works (bridges, piped pipes, etc.) that punctuate it.
Thus, based on flood scenarios defined by different return periods (characterized by different intensities), ARTESIA predicts how the flood of streams / rivers behaves and impacts buildings. On this basis, ARTESIA is therefore able to assess the risks and, if necessary, to size the protection and compensation measures such as: merlons, buffer tank, modification of existing hydraulic structures, warning systems for the evacuation of buildings, etc.
The solid and proven assistance of ARTESIA in this field allow its customers to benefit in the end from the following advantages:
- Effective communication with all actors (administrations, lawyers, insurance, opponents, owners of neighboring floodplains, etc.);
- An appropriate response to the administration’s technical requirements for obtaining town planning permits;
- Anticipate and avoid the risks of material and human losses;
- Provide objective information on the impacts of all technical decisions (spatial and temporal changes in river flows and levels upstream, downstream and at points of interest) and demonstrate the effectiveness of the choices;
- Advise the resource operator or guarantor on strategic choices.
Example of the 2D model used to assess the risks of flooding of the Soumagne Rest House according to different scheme of arrangement of the territory, and aimed at making the optimal choices to secure people and property.
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Stability of rock walls
Stability of rock walls
With its advanced drone-based investigation techniques, ARTESIA extracts digital data from photogrammetry to detect the weak points of risky rock walls.
ARTESIA then dimension the appropriate preventive solutions to secure the walls: positioning of extensometers, combing of walls, mesh nets, anchors, etc.
Example of detailed 3D modeling of an unstable and inaccessible rock wall, with installation of virtual extensometers to monitore the evolution of instabilities
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Assistance for planning permit
Assistance for planning permit
ARTESIA assists you in the preparation of specific forms for your permit application and ensures communication with the Administration.
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Software development : Krigis
Software development : Krigis
In order to best meet the expectations of its customers and based on their specific needs, ARTESIA develops its KRIGIS software which is a powerful virtual assistant tailored to manage, master and enhance the underground resource. The KRIGIS application then becomes a tool that can be easily and autonomously used by our customers to track the evolution of complex phenomena governing their contaminated basement.
This application is also able to communicate with the 3D predictive tools that ARTESIA is also developing tailor-made for its customers. More information about KRIGIS
