Abstract

Nigeria with a generating potential of roughly 12,522 MW only supplies less than 20% of the national demand. This necessitates an optimal use of the Jebba Hydroelectric Power Plant whose optimal generation depends on the operating head. This paper presents the solution to an optimal control problem involving the operating head of the plant. An optimal control problem consisting of a model of the system dynamics, performance index and system constraints was solved using a dynamic programming approach. The control procedure was built on the integration of the nonlinear dynamical model by an Adams-Moulton technique with Adams-Bashfort as predator and Runge-Kutta as a starter. The numerical solution, coupled with dynamic programming was employed in developing an optimal control procedure for the regulation of the operating head. Result presented shows the potential of the control procedure in determining the amount of inflow required to restore the operating head to a nominal level whenever there is a disturbance.