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| Three Gorges Reservoir Cascade Optimization to Complete |
| 2009-09-17 |
China makes breakthroughs in large reservoir cascade optimization, as marked by the expecting completion of the project "Upper Yangtze River reservoir-group optimal operation and its simulation decision supporting system".
Headed by Professor Cheng Genwei, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE), CAS, with cooperation with Tsinghua University, the project deals with key theoretic and technical problems on optimal operating rule for large-scale cascade reservoirs. The influence mechanism of impounding and releasing water of cascade-reservoir upstream to river flow of Three Gorges Reservoir, the long-term runoff forecasting theory and method under different confidence level, the controlling principle of limiting-water-level of reservoir in flood season, the best water storage time of Three Gorges Reservoir after flood season, have been explored.
The new dynamic model and decision-supporting system on cascade-reservoirs involves more than 50 large-scale reservoirs and controls catchments of area over one million square kilometers in upper Yangtze valley. The system can fulfill long-term forecasting to daily stream flow in six months and the analog simulation to various operating schemes.
Scientists have solved several key problems, such as in long-term river flow forecasting, determinate principle forecasting confidence probability, multi-stage limiting-water-levels within dynamic storage capacity during flood season, the dynamics model of flow and sediment in the reservoir.
The Three Gorges Project, initiated in 1993 and has cost 184.9 billion yuan (27.19 billion U.S. dollars) to build, is a massive multi-functional water control system built on the upper and middle reaches of the country's longest waterway, the Yangtze River. Its main components include the dam, a five-tier ship lock system, and 26 hydropower turbo-generators. Its key functions are flood control, power generation, shipping and water supplies.
The project began power generation in June 2003, and had generated 320.82 billion kwh of hydropower by late June this year, of which 318.8 billion kwh of clean energy has been sold to state power grids supplying east, central and southern parts of the country. |
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