Improved operating policies for multipurpose use: A case study of Bhadra Reservoir

The operation of Bhadra reservoir project is studied using optimization (overyear and within year storage model) and simulation (with both historic and synthetically generated monthly streamflows) based on a 52-year record of monthly inflow data for irrigation and hydropower generation. Bed turbine operation is found to be the key issue in maximizing the total hydropower production. The reservoir operation is studied for thirteen different policies of bed turbine operation using simulation. These simulation runs are carried out for a specified irrigation demand with historic data. The probability distribution of the maximum possible hydropower production is arrived at by simulating the reservoir operation with 4 different sets of synthetically generated monthly streamflows, each having sequences of different lengths, for two promising policies. A comparison of results made with the actual operation over a 11-year period shows that substantial increase in the total hydropower generation is possible with the identified policies without undue deficits in meeting the specified irrigation demands.