Papers by Mathieu Veschkens
peer reviewedaudience: researcher, professional, student, popularizationPumped Storage Hydroelect... more peer reviewedaudience: researcher, professional, student, popularizationPumped Storage Hydroelectricity (PSH) is a well-known and efficient technology to store various amounts of electricity. In most parts of Europe, appropriate sites for new classical PSH plants are getting scarce. An alternative consists in using underground volumes as lower reservoirs to build so-called Underground Pumping Storage Hydroelectricity (UPSH) plants. The paper presents the main results of a research project currently investigating the potential and feasibility of such innovative plants in the context of Wallonia, where numerous abandoned mines and quarries are located all over the territory. After a description of the main types of reservoir configurations existing in the considered region and the evaluation of their expected energy storage potential, the tools and methodology developed in the scope of the project are presented. Their application to the case of an underground slates quarry and an open...
Remote sensing data offer an accurate source of information to the administration. Walloon admini... more Remote sensing data offer an accurate source of information to the administration. Walloon administration develops its capacities in using Earth Observation data to respond to the EU request of characterizing the risks related to closed and/or abandoned mining sites. This paper compares two Digital Elevation Models (DEM) derived either from aerial photos or from a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) scanner in their capabilities of characterizing unstable land cover and risks of landslides for Walloon coal waste heaps. A first inventory of Walloon facilities at risk provided to EU authorities identified geotechnical failure as being one of the major risks linked to coal mine waste heaps. The risk of geotechnical failure was quantified using a geotechnical factor of safety computed on a pixel basis using the topography of the facility. The topography was extracted from a regional-scale DEM with a spatial resolution of 10 m (ERRUISSOL model, information on http://geoportail.wallonie.b...
World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, International Journal of Geological and Environmental Engineering, 2015
Remote sensing data offer an accurate source of information to the administration. Walloon admini... more Remote sensing data offer an accurate source of information to the administration. Walloon administration develops its capacities in using Earth Observation data to respond to the EU request of characterizing the risks related to closed and/or abandoned mining sites. This paper compares two Digital Elevation Models (DEM) derived either from aerial photos or from a LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) scanner in their capabilities of characterizing unstable land cover and risks of landslides for Walloon coal waste heaps. A first inventory of Walloon facilities at risk provided to EU authorities identified geotechnical failure as being one of the major risks linked to coal mine waste heaps. The risk of geotechnical failure was quantified using a geotechnical factor of safety computed on a pixel basis using the topography of the facility. The topography was extracted from a regional-scale DEM with a spatial resolution of 10 m (ERRUISSOL model, information on http://geoportail.wallonie.b...
Time series analysis was used as an attempt to identify a potential accidental hydrogeological tr... more Time series analysis was used as an attempt to identify a potential accidental hydrogeological trigger to the collapse of an abandoned mine drainage tunnel in Belgium. Correlation, spectral and wavelet analyses were applied to piezometric data in order to characterize regionalscale hydraulic connections between groundwater bodies, but failed to provide direct insight into regional hydrogeology. No correlation between data collected in the hydrogeological unit of the collapsed area could be identified, showing that the piezometers were tapping isolated sand lenses. As a conclusion, the collapse was rather attributed to a slow increase in water pressure linked to a limited recharge.
In this paper, a risk-based method is proposed for the design of networks of piezometers for the ... more In this paper, a risk-based method is proposed for the design of networks of piezometers for the monitoring of near-surface gas emissions from abandoned underground coal mines. Risk is evaluated considering the location and extent of the mine and of the former underground mining infrastructures. Damage induced by the mining works on the upper geological formations and the associated increase in permeability is also taken into consideration, as well as potential impacts on humans. Damage is estimated using an empirical method based on the number of caved seams between the ground surface and a depth of 200 m.
s of the International Mine Water Conference 19 – 23 October 2009 Proceedings ISBN Number: 978-0-... more s of the International Mine Water Conference 19 – 23 October 2009 Proceedings ISBN Number: 978-0-9802623-5-3 Pretoria, South Africa Produced by: Document Transformation Technologies cc Conference organised by: Cilla Taylor Conferences APPLICATION OF THE HFEMC METHOD TO AN ABANDONED COALFIELD IN BELGIUM: FROM CONCEPTUALISATION TO SCENARIO SIMULATIONS S. WILDEMEERSCH1, 2, S. BROUYÈRE1, PH. ORBAN1, J. COUTURIER1, N. GARDIN1, C. DINGELSTADT3, M. VESCHKENS3, and A. DASSARGUES1 University of Liège, ArGEnCo, GEO3; Hydrogeology and Environmental Geology, Aquapôle, B52/3 Sart-Tilman, 4000 Liège, Belgium; E-mail: [email protected] F.R.I.A. F.R.S.-FNRS 1000 Brussels, Belgium ISSeP Rue du Chéra 200, 4000 Liège, Belgium
A pre-selection protocol was provided to EU-member states in order to initiate the inventory of t... more A pre-selection protocol was provided to EU-member states in order to initiate the inventory of the risks associated to closed mine waste facilities, as required by Directive 2006/21/EC. The document is designed as a guidance protocol based on a series of simple criteria that is general enough to be applicable at the European scale but that can be adapted to regional conditions. The pre-selection protocol enables the identification of closed waste facilities that might be at risk from the list of all known closed (and/or abandoned) facilities. Risk assessment is conducted considering the Source, Pathway and Receptor components, based on data that is or is assumed to be readily available. In this paper, a practical implementation of the protocol into a Geographical Information System (GIS) is proposed and a first test-case application to the Walloon Region of Belgium is presented. Criteria that need to be removed from the analysis of the test case are identified (contents in pollutan...
Proceedings of the Eighth International Seminar on Mine Closure, 2013
European Union Directive 2006/21/EC requires member states to identify closed mining waste facili... more European Union Directive 2006/21/EC requires member states to identify closed mining waste facilities potentially posing a serious threat to human health or environment. A general pre-selection protocol was proposed by an Ad-hoc Group of the Technical Adaptation Committee (TAC) of the directive. The protocol considers several criteria, including the presence of pollutants, the stability of the source, four types of pathways and four receptor components. The Institut Scientifique de Service Public (ISSeP) modified the protocol in order to better account for specific regional conditions. The adaptations proposed for the Walloon Region and described in this paper include the exclusion of some criteria, the calculation of additional criteria and a particular combination of source, pathways and receptors to better represent current risks in the region. This method allowed the pre-selection of the facilities needing further risk analysis.
Mine Water and the Environment
Complex underground flow processes can occur in flooded mine workings. As the groundwater rebound... more Complex underground flow processes can occur in flooded mine workings. As the groundwater rebounds, outbreaks, flooding, and slope stability problems can occur where hydraulic pressures build up in less drained areas. A time-series statistical analysis was conducted to understand how exploited areas in an abandoned coalfield were connected and to calculate groundwater response times to rain events by spatially and temporally correlating piezometric levels and discharge rates. Ten years of flow rate and water level data were statistically analyzed for an abandoned coalfield in Liège (Belgium). Then, the results were compared to results from physically-based simulations (a 3D groundwater flow model) based on data from the first 2 years of monitoring. The statistical approach gives qualitative indications on the interconnections between the different areas of the coalfield, as well as on the storage capacity/transmissivity of the aquifer. Improved understanding of this hydrogeological behavior can be used to prevent post-mining accidents and assess the associated risks.抽象废弃矿井采空工作面淹井地下水流复杂。当地下水位反弹时,排水不畅区块水压增压,可能引发突水、溢流和斜坡稳定等问题。采用时间序列统计法分析废弃矿井采空工作面水流如何串通,分析含水层水位与排水量时空相关性,计算地下水流的降水响应。分析了比利时列日(Liège)废弃煤矿十年矿井水流量和水位。然后,将计算结果与基于前两年监测数据的物理模拟(三维地下水流模型)结果对比。时间序列分析法能够定量计算淹井区块间水力联系和含水层储水系数/导水系数。研究有助于预防煤矿采后事故和评价相应风险。ZusammenfassungIn gefluteten Bergwerken können komplexe Strömungsprozesse auftreten. Mit dem Grundwasseranstieg können Wassereinbrüche, Überschwem-mungen und Stabilitätsprobleme auftreten, wenn in schlecht entwässer-baren Bereichen der hydraulische Druck steigt. Eine statistische Zeitreihen¬analyse wurde durchgeführt, um zu verstehen, wie ausgekohlte Bereiche in einem stillgelegten Kohlebergwerk verbunden sind, und um die Verweilzeit zu berechnen. In einem stillgelegten Kohlebergwerk in Liège, Belgien wurden Daten des Durchflusses und des Wasserstandes für einen Zeitraum von 10 Jahren statistisch analysiert. Die Ergebnisse der statistischen Analyse wurden mit Ergebnissen eines 3D-Grundwasserströmungsmodells verglichen, das auf den Befunden eines zweijährigen Monitorings aufbaut. Der statistische Ansatz gibt qualitative Hinweise auf Verbindungen zwischen den verschiedenen Bereichen des Kohelfeldes sowie auf die Speicherkapazität und Transmissivität des Grundwasserleiters. Ein verbessertes Verständnis des hydrogeologischen Verhaltens kann genutzt werden, um nachbergbauliche Störungsfälle zu verhindern und damit verbundene Risiken abzuschätzen.ResumenEn los trabajos en minas inundadas pueden ocurrir complejos procesos de flujo de aguas subterráneas. A medida que el agua subterránea se recupera, los brotes de agua, las inundaciones y los problemas de estabilidad de taludes pueden ocurrir cuando las presiones hidráulicas se acumulan en las áreas menos drenadas. Se realizó un análisis estadístico de series de tiempo para comprender cómo se conectaban las áreas explotadas en un yacimiento de carbón abandonado y para calcular los tiempos de respuesta de las aguas subterráneas a los eventos de lluvia correlacionando espacial y temporalmente los niveles piezométricos y las tasas de descarga. Se analizaron estadísticamente diez años de datos de caudal y nivel de agua para un yacimiento de carbón abandonado en Liège (Bélgica). Luego, los resultados se compararon con los resultados de las simulaciones (un modelo de flujo de agua subterránea en 3D) en base a los datos de los primeros dos años de monitoreo. El enfoque estadístico proporciona indicaciones cualitativas sobre las interconexiones entre las diferentes áreas del yacimiento de carbón, así como sobre la capacidad de almacenamiento / transmisividad del acuífero. Una mejor comprensión del comportamiento hidrogeológico puede utilizarse para prevenir accidentes que pueden ocurrir luego del trabajo minero y evaluar los riesgos asociados.
Environnement Risques Santé
Environmental Science and Pollution Research
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Papers by Mathieu Veschkens