Guillaume Bontron

Hydraulic Modelling for Rhône River Operation

CNR is France’s leading producer of exclusively renewable energy—with 18 hydroelectric power plants along the Rhone, providing a capacity of 3,000 MW. In order to operate these plants, the CNR has developed several made-to-measure hydroinformatic tools for various purposes, whether they are studies or operational applications. The studies undertaken are mainly based upon type 1-D looped-network hydraulic model with storage areas, covering the full length of the Rhone. For the use of specific studies, these models can be backed up by more detailed modelling: 2D or 3D. With this in mind, accuracy of results is a major factor and the ongoing trend is for increasingly complex models. However, this trend is incompatible with the need for robust & real-time operational solutions in an industrial context. For this reason, the study models have had to be adapted to varying operational requirements, using a number of different strategies to meet the specific requirements of each individual operational application. This multiplicity of usages means that constant vigilance is required to maintain the consistency of codes and modelling data, notably when updating reference models. As part of the SYSSIH project (hydraulic simulation system), CNR is currently setting up a common platform, to gather all the modelling tools and models needed for a full range of operational uses. This restructuring will facilitate the maintenance of tools and their customisation to future requirements.