Model Predictive Control aimed at satisfying the production plan of a hydroelectric plant

The present work describes a Model Predictive Control application aimed at satisfying the production plan of a hydroelectric plant. The considered process is characterized by two reservoirs (connected through a regulation gate) and a set of turbines for energy production. The predictive control approach has been motivated by the availability of forecasts on water requests by the hydroelectric plant and by the goodness of fit performances of the obtained linear process model. This model is characterized by first principles equations together with tailored relationships between the sensor level information and reservoir water volume (obtained from data). Unknown water flows and model uncertainties have been considered through ad hoc model mismatch compensation strategies. The precise fulfillment of water requests aimed at production plan satisfaction represented the main goal of the controller, together with the minimization of the wasted water. Virtual environment simulations based on significant scenarios have shown the soundness of the proposed approach. The developed proprietary framework has been tested on the real plant, obtaining a significant service factor and remarkable results.