A Refined Load Distribution Method for Large Hydropower Stations With Multiple Units Considering Constraints of Substations

Large hydropower stations often undertake peak regulation tasks during the non-abandoning water season. This requires a reasonable arrangement of unit commitment and load distribution (UCLD). In this study, a load distribution model considering constraints of substations was established, and a novel refined and practical method (RPM) was proposed by considering a whole plant-substation module, substation-unit module, and adjustment module along with practical strategies. The Three Gorges hydropower station in China was selected to demonstrate the effects of the RPM. The results showed that the RPM with high calculation timeliness can obtain UCLD schemes with high rationality and practicability under the constraints of the whole plant, substations, and units. The relative mean absolute error of the simulation outflow could be controlled within 1%, thereby providing a valuable reference for forecasting the outflow process which involving the unit level.