Amid the green peaks and deep gorges, rivers rush like silver dragons. Cascade hydropower stations stand as energy hubs embedded in the veins of mountains and rivers. They are not only important sources of energy but also the lifeblood of regional economic development.

"Look, the real-time water level, power generation load, flood forecast, etc. are all clearly visible!" Inside a large-scale cascade basin centralized control center, with a click of the mouse by the staff, more than a dozen small hydropower stations several kilometers away seem just around the corner, achieving smart operation and maintenance like "playing the piano".

This is the core area of hydropower stations and the main battlefield for water level management. However, in the past, the work here was filled with difficulties and challenges.

"Previously, we mainly relied on manual experience for water level control and load regulation. But this method had obvious limitations and was prone to the risk of water waste. In addition, the coordinated dispatching among cascade power station groups was also a major problem. Due to poor information communication, it was difficult to form effective linkages, resulting in resource waste. What's more worrying is that flood warnings and flood discharge decisions often relied on empirical judgment, posing multiple risks to the safe operation of hydropower stations." A senior engineer sighed.

With the in-depth advancement of digital transformation and intelligence, all this is quietly changing.

Empowered by AI: Making Water Level Prediction "Prescient"

The water level changes in hydropower stations are not instantaneous but are affected by multiple factors such as regional rainfall, upstream periodic water inflow, and fluctuations in power generation load.

In response, Luculent has innovatively integrated AI technology with the LSTM neural network and independently developed an operation optimization system based on cascade basin power stations, successfully cracking the long-standing water level management problem.

"Specifically, the system can accurately grasp the water level change trend within 10 days, precisely predict the water level magnitude within 5 days, and detail the water level change process within 2 days. Thanks to the sophisticated dispatching of the'super brain', it has changed from 'passive response' to 'active defense'."

An expert in the R & D of Luculent's hydropower products introduced that based on in-depth mining, analysis, and learning of massive historical data, the system has built a high-precision operation safety water level control optimization model. It has strong adaptive capabilities and can accurately judge the inflow and outflow discharge and water level according to the water level change laws in different seasons and under different climate conditions. It can also make independent decisions and perform automatic operation and maintenance according to the actual situation with ease.

All-round Intelligence: Optimizing Water Level Management

"This system is truly an indispensable and capable assistant for hydropower stations. It has taken water level management to a new level of intelligence with a 360° all-round perspective." When talking about the value of the platform, the power station operators praised it repeatedly!

Whether it is a small hydropower station or a large-scale hydropower project, the system can conduct detailed and dynamic management of the water level of a single power station. Once the water level approaches or crosses the safety warning line, the system immediately sounds an alarm and quickly takes action according to the preset intelligent strategy, nipping the risk in the bud. This real-time response ability undoubtedly builds an impregnable defense line for the safe operation of hydropower stations.

When dealing with the more complex management of cascade power station groups, the collaborative management wisdom of the system shines even more brightly. It seems to have a pair of "clairvoyant eyes" that can take in the water level dynamics of the entire cascade power station group. It can efficiently coordinate the water level control strategies of each power station to ensure that the hydropower resources in the entire basin achieve the maximum comprehensive benefits, making every drop of water shine with the light of wisdom.

From Flood Control to Ecological Protection: Guarding the Value of Every Drop of Water

In addition to water level management, the system also constructs a powerful intelligent management system for hydropower stations through a series of core functions.

When talking about the optimization of water level control, the operator of the hydropower station couldn't hide his pride. He said that the system is like a "stabilizer" for load regulation and can flexibly formulate multiple water level control strategies based on historical data and real-time monitoring results.

The optimization of unit start-up combination is also a major highlight. This function comprehensively considers various factors such as unit operation time, real-time load, unit maintenance status, unit vibration area, and power station operating water head. Through precise calculations, it finds the best unit start-up combination and operating load with the lowest water consumption rate. Through optimized water level control, load recommendation, and basin coordinated dispatching, the safety level of basin dispatching is improved, and the comprehensive income of the power station is increased.

The director of the power station operation department told us that the opening control of the flood discharge gate is a key link in flood control work and is directly related to the safe operation of the dam. The system accurately recommends the opening of the flood discharge gate based on factors such as predicted inflow discharge, real-time water level, reservoir capacity information, and the carrying capacity of the downstream river channel. This not only ensures the safety and stability of the reservoir dam but also effectively reduces unnecessary water waste losses. Through real-time monitoring during the flood season, intelligent water level pre-play, and optimized control, a smart flood control barrier has been built for the power station.

In terms of ecological protection, the system also performs outstandingly. It is understood that too small a downstream discharge may lead to river drying up, thus threatening the health of the ecosystem. This system continuously aggregates the outflow discharge data within the time window according to the flood control and ecological flow requirements of the power station, forms the cumulative outflow water volume, and uses the NHQ curve to calculate the remaining time to meet the daily average ecological flow load value. In this way, the operators can adjust the units according to the load value intelligently recommended by the system, dynamically regulate the water level fluctuations, protect river biodiversity, and achieve a "win-win" of economic and ecological benefits.

The highest virtue is like water. The surging river has flowed for thousands of years, nourishing the land and giving birth to civilizations. As the integrated basin economic dispatch featuring "intelligent operation and maintenance, intensive management, digital supervision, and smart dispatching" gradually becomes a reality, Luculent will provide mature experience and examples for the continuous development of smart water conservancy and introduce more accurate, intelligent, and secure water level dispatching solutions.