Numerical hydrogeologic models are critical to groundwater studies because these types of models help us understand processes that we cannot see. To solve hydrogeologic problems numerically, natural conditions must be simplified, which helps in understanding these processes and better groundwater management.
Objects that in any way control groundwater flow have a serious impact on the natural state of groundwater. During the construction of the Brežice hydroelectric power plant, a barrier wall was built parallel to the Sava River. The barrier wall reaches the bottom of the aquifer in the Krško - Brežice area and separates the natural groundwater flow from the groundwater of the reservoir.
In order to analyse the properties of the cut-off wall, two experimental field tests were conducted. For the first test, a square cut-off wall was constructed, while the second test was a tracing along the cut-off wall parallel to the Sava River.
In the master thesis, I focus on the behaviour of groundwater in the square cut-off wall. In order to understand the groundwater dynamics, 240 simulations were performed. The simulations were performed with a pumping time of 10 days and different input parameters. Five conceptual models were created, with the first model following the same geometry as used in the field test. Input parameters such as the permeability coefficient of the aquifer, the permeability coefficient of the cut-off wall, and the width of the cut-off wall are parameters that have the greatest influence on the functionality of the wall. The results of the simulations were used to perform a sensitivity analysis to determine the most and least sensitive parameters of the system.
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