Research on operation modes of pumping stations in the river-reservoir connection project in the Meng-Kai-Ge Area

The river-reservoir connection project in the “Meng-Kai-Ge Area” consists of the Nandong primary pump station, Nandong secondary pump station, and Changqiaohai pump station. Investigating the impact of different operation modes on the energy consumption of pump stations can enhance the project’s operational efficiency. This study establishes an optimal unit commitment model for the three pumping stations, considering both constant speed throttling operation mode and variable frequency regulation operation mode. The model is solved using the standard genetic algorithm (SGA) and the elite reservation genetic algorithm (EGA). The economic efficiency of the transformation is analyzed, taking into account the cost of the variable frequency regulation device. The research findings demonstrate that EGA exhibits similar accuracy to SGA but surpasses it significantly in terms of efficiency when solving the optimal unit commitment model for the river-reservoir connection project’s pump stations in the “Meng-Kai-Ge Area”. The energy-saving effect of frequency conversion regulation is particularly notable, with all pump stations having a relatively high-efficiency and energy-saving section within the middle range of flow. When the daily water lifting flow of the pump stations at all levels is less than 0.7 m³/s or close to full belt flow, frequency conversion transformation is unnecessary. However, in other cases, the pump stations can quickly realize positive benefits through transformation, highlighting the transformation’s significant advantages. These findings provide valuable insights for energy-saving transformations of pump stations in river-reservoir connection projects in the “Meng-Kai-Ge Area”.