Comparison of meta-heuristic algorithms in optimum operation of a single-reservoir dam system

Abstract

Multi-objective models must be built to optimise the use of water supplies. In this study, the performance of the farmland fertility algorithm (FFA) and that of the Harris hawks optimisation (HHO) algorithm were evaluated and compared with each other to solve the two-objective problem of optimal operation of the Golestan dam reservoir under baseline (April 2006 to October 2018) and climate change conditions (April 2021 to October 2033) in Golestan Province, Iran. The operation rules were extracted by minimising vulnerability and maximising reliability indices under both conditions. The results showed that when considering a constant value of the reliability index (i.e. 80%), the rate of vulnerability changes in the multi-objective FFA (Moffa) is lower than that of the multi-objective HHO (Mohho) algorithm. Therefore, Moffa has performed better than the Mohho algorithm in the optimal operation of the Golestan dam reservoir under both baseline and climate change conditions. On the other hand, the comparison of the optimum rules obtained under the baseline and climate change conditions showed that supplying the water demands would be more concordant with the optimum rules under climate change conditions in both optimisation algorithms. Therefore, the Golestan dam reservoir could perform better under climate change conditions in the case of using both the mentioned algorithms.