6 services found

TK Consult AG services

Groundwater Flow

Groundwater plays a number of very important roles in our environment and in our economies. It supports rivers, lakes and wetlands, especially through drier months when there is little direct input from rainfall. To that end, numerical models are an essential tool for the proper and sustainable management of this important resource. Models include parameters such as, e.g., hydraulic conductivity. These are uncertain, as aquifer properties are highly unknown. Parameter calibration, based upon available measurements, is a necessary step in any modelling exercise. TK Consult AG has developed a modelling strategy consisting of (1) review of existing information, (2) conceptualization of the system's behavior, (3) implementation of such concept into a numerical model, (4) model calibration and validation and (5) forecasting of anthropic actions over the aquifer. Such methodology has been successfully applied to a large number of projects all over the world.

Surface Water

Surface water is an essential resource for development. First, ground water and surface water are essentially one linked resource. Thus, the interactions between surface and groundwater have to be analyzed in a conjunctive manner. Second, the development of civilization is traditionally linked to existing surface water courses. In this context, river flooding may cause severe damages during wet seasons, including both economic and personal. Surface water modelling is an essential tool to (1) quantify the interaction between surface and groundwater, (2) to forecast floods and the corresponding damage and (3) to design the corresponding alleviation measures. TK Consult AG has developed a methodology to model such issues. A salient feature is that all buildings are explicitly included in the models as inner no-flow boundary conditions. This methodology has been successfully applied to the design of flood-correction measures in different cities all over the world.

Contaminated aquifers

Ground water is a valuable resource often used for industry, commerce, agriculture, and most importantly drinking water. The good quality of groundwater is crucial for water-dependent plants and animals, and for the use of groundwater as a source of drinking water. Nitrate, pesticides, solvents and other pollutants can get into groundwater from surface water and soils. If they do so, current laws in many countries force the "polluter" to apply correction measures. But first, the "polluter" (or the pollution source) must be identified. Numerical models are ideal tools to both purposes, i.e., source identification and design of a remediation system. TK Consult AG develops conceptual and numerical models based upon available information that allow (1) to identify pollution sources or (2) to forecast the pollution caused by anthropic activities and (3) to design aquifer remediation systems to bring groundwater quality to a state close to the initial, unpolluted one.

Rock Mechanics and Geomechanics

Rock mechanics forms part of the much broader subject of geomechanics, which is concerned with the mechanical responses of all geological materials, including soils. Rock mechanics, as applied in engineering geology, mining, petroleum, and civil engineering practice, is concerned with the application of the principles of engineering mechanics to the design of the rock structures generated by mining, drilling, reservoir production, or civil construction activity such as tunnels, mining shafts, underground excavations, open pit mines, oil and gas wells, road cuts, waste repositories, and other structures built in or of rock. It also includes the design of reinforcement systems, such as rock bolting patterns. TK Consult AG develops smart models that simplify the complex reality of the rock system. Such models are used to design borehole casings, tunnel diameters and support system, drainage systems, etc.

Software Development

Sophisticated models demand sophisticated software packages. The quality of our work is the result of the combination of engineering skills and the mastery in using well-known and verified software packages. Our engineers actively cooperate in the development and enrichment of the aforementioned software packages. This warrants an up-to-date and in-depth know-how of the software capabilities and therefore, this is synonym with good performance. In addition, we develop own different software toolboxes. To that end, our programming engineers are 'multi-lingual' (Fortran, C++, C#, Perl, R, Matlab, Julia, Haskell, Java, Python, html, php, css, bootstrap, JavaScript, etc.). Model outputs (just numbers) are often transformed according to the wish of our clients. To that end, we develop scripting tools for format-exchanging and visualization interfaces that meet the client needs. These interfaces are often based upon GIS software packages like QGIS or 3D viewers like Paraview or Tecplot.

Groundwater Flow Modelling

Groundwater plays a number of very important roles in our environment and in our economies. It supports rivers, lakes and wetlands. As such, groundwater resources must be preserved. To that end, numerical models are an essential tool for sustainable management. TK Consult AG has developed a modelling strategy consisting of (1) analysis of existing information, (2) conceptualization of the system`s behavior, (3) implementation of such concept into a numerical model, (4) model calibration and validation and (5) forecasting of anthropic actions over the aquifer. Such methodology has been successfully applied to a large number of projects all over the world.