Reservoir Management and Thermal Power Generation

Abstract

Heated effluent from thermoelectric power stations may adversely affect river ecology if adequate dilution water is not available. If the effluent is discharged to a regulated waterway, however, the adverse water‐quality impacts may be reduced by releases that augment the stream flow in low flow periods. An approach is developed for obtaining reservoir management policies that explicitly consider the dilution needs of downstream thermoelectric power stations. A goal programming model is used to identify these policies. Targets for reservoir storage and power generation are established and the sum of the deviations from these targets is minimized, subject to water‐quality constraints. Additional management policies are identified for reservoirs that are operated in conjunction with alternate cooling systems, namely cooling towers. A mixed‐integer programming model is developed that identifies the optimal periods in which a cooling tower may operate given that the power station may also be cooled with a once‐through cooling system by water withdrawn from a regulated waterway. These models are applied to a realistic case study based on the Shellmouth Reservoir and Dam in southwestern Manitoba, Canada.