A Reservoir Management Operation System Based on Failures in the Attendance of the Water Demand

Abstract

This paper presents a system called REMO (reservoir management operation), developed in C++ programming language, which is capable to estimate the reservoir active storage capacity and the regulated flow using an adaptation of the behavior or simulation analysis method. The reservoir critical period was defined as the time interval from the full condition through emptiness to the full condition again; releasing the regulated discharge and using the total active storage. The proposed methodology also permits to attribute failures in the attendance of the water demand, considering the historical records. To validate the methodology, simulations on Sobradinho and Boa Esperança hydropower reservoirs were performed. The first one is located on São Francisco River, Bahia State, and the second on Parnaíba River, Piauí State. The regulated discharges estimated by REMO were compared with the values published by Companhia Hidro Elétrica do São Francisco, and the differences were above 0,4% in Sobradinho and equal to 0% in Boa Esperança. REMO proved to be an excellent tool to help the water manager during the decision process to choose the best alternative to increase the water availability in basins with scarcity or where the future requirements may cause a water stress.