An operational model of a reservoir system simulation for real‐time flood control in the Han River Basin

Abstract An operational model of a reservoir system simulation was developed for real‐time flood control in the Han River Basin, Korea. The developed simulation model jointly operates the four flood control dams. The reservoir system operation model decides or alters a control point and the target river for flood control according to the dam state defined by the two levels of the dam: the maximum forecasted reservoir level and the restricted water level in the flood season. In addition, the model switches the release objectives corresponding to the flood stages, which are normal hydropower release, maximum hydropower release, and spillway release. The reservoir system operation model determines flood releases by reflecting two major concepts: the model pursues reservoir balance at the end of a joint operation and the channel capacity on a downstream control point may limit the release amount from an upstream dam. The application of the model to two historical flood events showed that the channel capacity may limit dam releases and thus may contribute to the reduction of peak discharge on the downstream control point. The model has been operationally used for flood control in the Han River Basin.