Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Environmental Protection

GeoStudio provides comprehensive tools for analyzing mining and environmental protection.

The analytical challenge


Production and disposal of mining and municipal waste poses many challenges from a geotechnical design and analysis perspective. Proper initial design can lead to much more efficient management of waste during and after project closure. Issues of concern from an analysis perspective include: stability of waste deposits such as landfills, waste rock and tailings impoundments; seepage of water, gas and contaminants through these facilities; design of cover or cap systems to prevent water infiltration or the release of gases and water; settlement and consolidation of waste; long term performance; and heterogeneity of waste and the associated characterization of material properties.

The GeoStudio solution


GeoStudio can address issues from pre-construction and construction stages, as well as long term performance analysis. The strength of the integration capability in the software allows for differing levels of complexity. Both steady state and transient process can be considered, as can the coupling of heat, gas and water fluxes to climate conditions. In addition, seepage models can be linked with contaminant transport models or with slope stability models as required for a comprehensive solution.

Solution Examples

Explore documented examples of how GeoStudio can effectively analyze environmental protection problems.

Download GeoStudio to view GSZ files

Advection-Dispersion with Adsorption and Decay

Contaminant transport due to advection and dispersion can be easily modeled with GeoStudio's multi-physics functionality. Mass transport analyses may also include the effects adsorption and decay, and can be used to investigate mass discharge to points of concern, like freshwater streams.

Download the GeoStudio data files
Read the analysis details

Frozen Ground Containment Barriers

GeoStudio provides the tools for analyzing coupled water and heat transport. This allows for the design of frozen soil barriers and the assessment of groundwater and contaminant flow around these barriers..

Download the GeoStudio data files
Read the analysis details

Water Transfer through Soil Covers

Climatic effects on mass and heat transfers within a soil cover can be modeled using the Land-Climate Interaction and Surface Energy Balance boundary conditions. Model inputs include climate and vegetation data, and the simulation results provide insight on deep percolation, evaporation, and root-water update.

Download the GeoStudio data files
Read the analysis details

Transport and Consumption of Oxygen 

Soil cover systems with capillary barrier effects are often built to limit oxygen ingress towards mine wastes containing sulphide. GeoStudio can be used to analyze oxygen transport through an unsaturated cover system and explore the effectiveness of oxidation within the water retention unit.

Download the GeoStudio data files

Read the analysis details

Related products

GeoStudio's integrated products work in combination to provide effective analysis of environmental protection.

 

SLOPE/W

Stability analysis of soil and rock slopes.

Learn More

SEEP/W + SEEP3D

Finite element analysis of groundwater flow in saturated / unsaturated porous media.

Learn More

SIGMA/W

Finite element stress and deformation analysis of earth and structural materials.

Learn More

QUAKE/W

Finite element analysis of earthquake liquefaction and dynamic loading.

Learn More

AIR/W

Finite element analysis of air transfer in mine waste and other porous media.

Learn More

TEMP/W + TEMP3D

Finite element analysis of heat transfer and phase change in porous media.

Learn More

CTRAN/W

Finite element analysis of solute and gas transport in porous media.

Learn More

BUILD3D

Geometry creation tool for complex 3D domains.

Learn More

Explore all solutions

GeoStudio's integrated products enable you to work across a broad range of engineering use cases.