Effective Optimization-Simulation Model for Flood Control of Cascade Barrage Network

In this study, a novel simulation-optimization model for the optimal flood control of the cascade barrage network was proposed by combining a simulation-based optimization method with a one-dimensional flood numerical analysis method. The simulation-based optimization method determines the optimal operation rules of cascade barrages, including the pre-discharge stage algorithm and the main-discharge stage algorithm for the securement of flood control storage and the establishment of a minimal discharge plan. The optimal operation rules describe the detailed operation process of barrage floodgates including full and partial opening and provide the upper and downstream boundary conditions for the flood numerical analysis method, which evaluate the flood propagation in the river channel between barrages. The proposed model was applied to the flood control of the six-cascade barrage network in the Taedong River, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and its effectiveness was verified in comparison with a well-known PSO-optimization method. The results show that the proposed model is superior to the existing other method and practically applicable to the flood control in the rivers with cascade barrage network.