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Optimal dewatering schemes in the foundation design of an electronuclear plant
Author(s) -
Galeati Giorgio,
Gambolati Giuseppe
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
water resources research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.863
H-Index - 217
eISSN - 1944-7973
pISSN - 0043-1397
DOI - 10.1029/wr024i004p00541
Subject(s) - dewatering , groundwater recharge , foundation (evidence) , finite element method , aquifer , optimal design , water table , engineering , environmental science , civil engineering , computer science , groundwater , geotechnical engineering , structural engineering , history , archaeology , machine learning
A three‐dimensional finite element model combined with an optimization approach based on linear mixed integer programming is developed and applied to assist in the design of the dewatering system for the electronuclear plant to be built by the Italian Electric Agency (ENEL) in Trino Vercellese, northwestern Italy. The foundations site is encompassed by a 25‐ to 35‐m deep plastic wall with the purpose of protecting the unconfined aquifer from the significant water table lowering required by the construction project. To reduce further the propagation of the depression cone a large amount of the water pumped out is reinjected through “ad hoc” recharge ditches. The finite element optimization model includes both the natural and the artificial constraints and provides several optimal withdrawal strategies for the dewatering system design concerning the distribution of the abstraction wells and the corresponding pumping rates. Physical and economical objective functions are explored and the related solutions are discussed.