Les outils mathématiques de la gestion des systèmes aquifères

Centre d'Informatique Géologique, Ecole des Mines de Paris, Fontainebleau

Abstract

The mathematical instruments for the modelling of aquiferous networks which have been developped for more than twenty years according to the functioning and operating constraints of such systems.

The former instruments for the simulation which were inspired by modelling technics for oil tanks, have first studied the problems related to the flow and enabled researchers to realise many applications in the field of water supply.

The necessity to handle water quality problems which are bound with natural geochimical characteristics of the aquifers or with the human influence (geological storage for instance) has generated the creation of more sophisticated models, connecting the flow with the transport of elements in solution which can inte-racte with the milieu.

At the present time, a great number of tools for the simulation are proposed by research institutions and are more and more being used by research departments to solve successfully the practical, problems laid down by deep waterbearing-bed management in quantity and quality.

By using examples, this communication tries to show the diversity of the existing models and their application scope by privileging the conceptual aspect of the instruments in comparison with the digital aspect.