OPERATIONAL TRADE-OFFS IN RESERVOIR CONTROL

Reservoir operation decisions require constant reevaluation in the fac e of conflicting objectives, varying hydrologic conditions. and freque nt operational policy changes. Optimality is a relative concept very m uch dependent on the circumstances under which a decision is made. Mor e than anything else, reservoir management authorities need the means to assess the impacts of various operational options. It is their resp onsibility to define what is desirable after a thorough evaluation of the existing circumstances. This article presents a model designed to generate operational trade-offs common among reservoir systems. The mo del avoids an all-encompassing problem formulation and distinguishes t hree operational modes (levels) corresponding to normal, drought, and flood operations. Each level addresses only relevant system elements a nd uses a static and a dynamic control module to optimize turbine perf ormance within each planning period and temporally. The model is used for planning the operation of the Savannah River System.