Research on Multiobjective Optimal Scheduling of Reservoir Based on Ecological Flow-Process Level

Frequent changes in the hydrological regime of rivers downstream of dams due to reservoir scheduling would lead to problems such as ecological degradation. This study proposes the ecological flow-process level (EFPL), a quantitative ecological benefits indicator of flow processes, to reduce hydrological regime variation. The EFPL considers dynamic evaluation criteria for ecological flows at different periods and the influence of excessive flow. Based on the EFPL, a multiobjective ecological scheduling model was developed to maximize EFPL and power generation. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, a case study on the ecological scheduling of the Hongjiadu hydropower station was conducted. The resulting scheduling scheme showed a significant reduction of 33.21% in the maximum difference between the inflow and discharge processes compared to the original scheme. The result demonstrates that the proposed method can effectively reduce the hydropower-induced hydrological regime variation. The superiority of the EFPL indicator is further supported through comparisons with other ecological indicators. The result shows that the EFPL-based scheduling scheme has relatively good indicator values compared to other schemes.