Water Transfer Project In China Research Articles

Do Water Transfer Projects Promote Water Use Efficiency? Case Study of South-to-North Water Transfer Project in Yellow River Basin of China

With a huge capital and labor input influx, inter-basin water transfer (IBWT) projects have been shown to effectively mitigate water stress and ensure the water demand for social and economic development in the receiving area. Whether they have promoted the improvement of regional water use efficiency (WUE) is crucial for sustainable management of regional water resources. Targeting the South-to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP), the largest and most ambitious inter-basin water transfer project in China, this study establishes quantitatively econometric models to analyze the impact of different water diversion projects, specifically the eastern route of the SNWTP (ER-SNWTP), middle route of the SNWTP (MR-SNWTP), and diversion from the main stream of the Yellow River (DYR), on the regional water consumption per unit of GDP; regional water stress, water use structure, economic structure, and urbanization level are used as control variables in different types of cities in the Yellow River Basin, and some intriguing results are found. While the overall water transfer project demonstrates a positive impact on water use efficiency, the effects of the three water transfer measures vary significantly. The ER-SNWTP does not exhibit a notable positive effect on regional water use efficiency, whereas the MR-SNWTP demonstrates a significant positive impact. Interestingly, the DYR has a notable negative influence on water use efficiency in developed cities. The water use structure, shaped by the pricing, scale, and policies of different projects, emerges as a pivotal factor in explaining these differences. Finally, this paper suggests that the impact of water transfer projects on the improvement of regional water use efficiency be viewed from a more comprehensive and developmental perspective.

An Effective Digital Twin Modeling Method for Infrastructure: Application to Smart Pumping Stations

Digital twin technology has evolved from a theoretical concept to practical application, facilitating seamless data exchange between virtual and physical domains. Although there has been progress, the infrastructure industry, which is recognized for its intricate nature and the need for timely action, is still in the first phases of digital twin advancement. A significant obstacle in this field is the absence of established definitions and modeling standards, which impede the precise depiction of infrastructure systems. To address these challenges, this paper proposes a high-precision digital twin modeling method tailored for pumping stations. The method focuses on two key scenarios: first, we construct an overall digital twin model that contains both physical entities and operational processes of pumping stations; second, we design a modeling process applicable to pumping stations by analyzing the deficiencies of the existing standard system. Additionally, we selected the East–West Water Transfer Project in China as a case study to demonstrate the high-precision digital twin model of a pumping station. This model will include essential components, such as the modeling of pumping stations, the operational processes of pumping stations, and the modeling of system operation analysis. Serving as the database for the digital twin, it can complete the automatic inspection of the pumping station, optimization of scheduling, prediction and regulation of energy and carbon emissions, and visualization of results for display and other applications. The model realized the benefits of 100% automatic inspection rate, reduction of eight corresponding operating personnel, and comprehensive cost saving of RMB 2.25 million. The objective of this research is to narrow the divide between theoretical concepts and real-world implementations by pushing the boundaries of digital twin modeling and offering valuable insights for its utilization in the infrastructure industry. It establishes the foundation for progress in the field of digital twin technology in the specific context of intricate infrastructure projects. This project aims to improve the practicality of digital twin technology in real-world situations, namely in the infrastructure industry.

Water Afar Off Quenches Not Thirst? The Health Benefits of the South–North Water Transfer Project in China

Water Afar Off Quenches Not Thirst? The Health Benefits of the South–North Water Transfer Project in China

Energy saving based on a multi-objective optimization model of the tidal pumping station along the coastal area

The operation of tidal pumping station has an energetic impact on energy course of massive water pumping for a long time. Thus, a multi-objective optimal operation model was developed to optimize the operation scheme and reduce the energy consumption of the tidal pumping station. In the model, a day is divided into several sub-periods according to the regulation of water level in tidal reach. The partition of sub-periods, the number and blade angle of operating units in each sub-period are adjusted to minimize daily operation energy consumption. And the less switching times, the better the reliability and durability of the unit, the lower the failure rate. Therefore, the reduction of wearing parts’ service life is quantified for each switching time in the form of cost. A case study is performed with the tidal pumping station of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China. In this paper, energy consumption and switching times are quantified as costs respectively, and the result shows that the daily energy consumption could be saved about 2.28%–6.56%, and the switching times reduced at least 60%. Therefore, this paper could provide an effective optimal operation scheme for the tidal pumping station whose operation is affected by tides.

A New Approach for Assessing Heat Balance State along a Water Transfer Channel during Winter Periods

Ice problems in channels for water transfer in cold regions seriously affect the capacity and efficiency of water conveyance. Sometimes, ice problems such as ice jams in water transfer channels create risk during winter periods. Recently, water temperature and environmental factors at various cross-sections along the main channel of the middle route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China have been measured. Based on these temperature data, the heat balance state of this water transfer channel has been investigated. A principal component analysis (PCA) method has been used to analyze the complex factors influencing the observed variations of the water temperature, by reducing eigenvector dimension and then extracting the principal component as the input feature. Based on the support vector machine (SVM) theory, a new approach for judging the heat loss or heat gain of flowing water in a channel during winter periods has been developed. The Gaussian radial basis is used as the kernel function in this new approach. Then, parameters have been optimized by means of various methods. Through the supervised machine learning process toward the observed water temperature data, it is found that the air–water temperature difference and thermal conditions are the key factors affecting the heat loss or heat absorption of water body. Results using the proposed method agree well with those of measurements. The changes of water temperature are well predicted using the proposed method together with the state of water heat balance.

Repairing expansive soil channel slope with soilbags

Shallow slope failure often occurs in expansive soil channel slopes because of the strong swelling–shrinkage behaviour of expansive soils and well-developed fissures. In this paper, a repair method for expansive soil channel slopes using soilbags is proposed. Model tests were carried out to illustrate the effect of this repair method. The test results indicate that the assembly of soilbags arranged on the slope limits the deformation of expansive soils after water absorption and reduces infiltration and evaporation during the drying–wetting cycle process. A method for analysing the sliding stability of the repaired slope was suggested and a case study of the repair of a 65 m test expansive soil channel slope with soilbags in the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China was presented. The monitoring of vertical and lateral displacements of the testing slope demonstrates the effectiveness of using soilbags to repair expansive soil channel slopes.

LSTM-Based Deformation Prediction Model of the Embankment Dam of the Danjiangkou Hydropower Station

The Danjiangkou hydropower station is a water source project for the middle line of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China. The dam is composed of riverbed concrete dam and earth rock dam on both banks, with a total length of 3442 m. Once the dam is wrecked, it will yield disastrous consequences. Therefore, it is very important to evaluate the dam safety behavior in time. Based on the long-term and short-term memory (LSTM) network, the deformation prediction models of the embankment dam of the Danjiangkou hydropower station are constructed. The models contain two LSTM layers, adopt the rectified linear unit function as the activation function and determine the super parameters of the models with Bayesian optimization algorithm. According to the settlement monitoring data of LD12ZT01 measuring point (dam crest 0 + 648) on the left bank of the embankment dam of the Danjiangkou hydropower station from July 2013 to March 2022, the LSTM and bidirectional LSTM models are constructed. In total, 80% of the monitoring data are taken as the training set data and 20% of the monitoring data are taken as the test set data. The mean absolute error, root mean square error and mean square error for the test set are 0.42978, 0.56456 and 0.31873 for partial least squares regression (PLSR), 0.35264, 0.47561 and 0.22621 for LSTM and 0.34418, 0.45400 and 0.20612 for bidirectional LSTM, respectively. The results show that the bidirectional LSTM model can obtain better deformation prediction value than the LSTM model and the PLSR. Then, the bidirectional LSTM model is used to predict the settlement value of LD16YT01 measuring point (dam crest 0 + 658) on the right bank, and the mean absolute error, root mean square error and mean square error for the test set are 0.5425, 0.66971 and 0.4520, respectively. This shows the bidirectional LSTM model can effectively predict the settlement value of the embankment dam of the Danjiangkou hydropower station.

A Quantitative Assessment on Ecological Compensation Based on Water Resources Value Accounting: A Case Study of Water Source Area of the Middle Route of South-To-North Water Transfer Project in China

As an economic means to adjust the contradiction between ecology and development, ecological compensation plays an important role in promoting the good operation of interbasin water transfer projects and the sustainable development of regional economy. The accounting of ecological compensation is the key and difficult point of ecological compensation as well as the basis of ecological compensation policy and practice. Watershed ecological compensation based on water resources value accounting is an early exploration field of ecological compensation research, and water resources value calculation needs to consider both water quantity and water quality comprehensively. Taking the water source area of the Middle Route of South-to-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) as an example, this article tries to establish the payment standard of watershed ecological compensation from the perspective of water resources value. The results show that: 1) The water resources value of the six core regions in the water source area has shown an overall upward trend since 2000, and the northern regions have demonstrated higher value of water resources than the southern regions. 2) The LSTM neural network model is used to forecast the value of water resources in the six regions from 2020 to 2022, and it is found that the value of water resources would increase in the next few years. 3) The compensation price of the six regions in the water source area is predicted in the range of 0.5–1.5 yuan/m3 from 2020 to 2022, and an upward trend in the ecological compensation amount is forecast. Based on the above conclusions, this article puts forward suggestions to establish an ecological compensation accounting system in line with the Middle Route water source area from the perspectives of ecological compensation legislation, allocation of ecological compensation amount, and introduction of market mechanism.

One new species of Achnanthidium Kützing (Bacillariophyta, Achnanthidiaceae) from the upper Han River, China

The upper Han River plays an important role in the Middle Route of the North to South Water Transfer Project in China. During an investigation of diatom biodiversity in this area, a new benthic monoraphid diatom, Achnanthidium ampliatum sp. nov. was observed from an alkaline tributary. This new species has relatively large valves, with a lanceolate axial area and distal raphe ends curved to the same side on the raphe valve, linear axial area in rapheless valves, with uniseriate striae and round to short slit-like areolae on both valves. We present light and scanning electron microscopic observations to document the new species. A. ampliatum sp. nov. is easily separated from other, similar Achnanthidium and Psammothidum taxa, and we provide comparisons with species that have similar outlines and valve features.

Flood Control Risk Identification and Quantitative Assessment of a Large-Scale Water Transfer Project

Flood control risk is one of the main risks affecting the safe operation of large-scale water transfer projects. Systematically identifying the flood control risk in the project and carrying out risk classification and hierarchical management are problems for project managers. Based on the theory of system and risk assessment, this paper starts with the various risk sources and risk events involved in the whole process of the flood disaster chain, the risk of flood disaster factors, the exposure of the disaster-bearing body, and the vulnerability of the disaster-originating environment are combined. Then, we systematically and comprehensively identify the flood control risks of a large-scale water transfer project, which are divided into four types of risk elements: rainfall–runoff; confluence and flow capacity; the geological characteristics of canal section; economic and social layouts. Specific risk factors are identified for each type of risk element, and a flood control risk evaluation index system for a water transfer project is proposed. According to the framework of the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a quantitative assessment of comprehensive flood control for water transfer projects is carried out. Taking the middle route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China as an example, this paper evaluates the integrated flood control risks of 39 engineering units, identifies six units with higher risk levels, analyzes the causes, and suggests engineering and non-engineering countermeasures to prevent and reduce the occurrence of risk accidents. This method is not only used for comprehensive flood control risk assessment and risk management in the operation and management stage of the large-scale inter-basin water transfer project, but also has a reference value in considering the optimal layout of the project water transmission line from the perspective of flood control in the planning and design stage.

Predicting basin water quality using source-sink landscape distribution metrics in the Danjiangkou Reservoir of China

Land use and land cover changes due to human development are a concern for water-resource managers as they increase the spread of non-point source pollution to rivers, lakes, and reservoirs, impacting the quality of freshwater resources. Danjiangkou Reservoir is the largest inter-regional water transfer project in China and provides water services to cities along the middle route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project and Beijing. Hence, watershed management decisions that may affect the water quality of the reservoir are particularly important. This study investigated the land use and land cover of a typical agricultural basin near the Danjiangkou Reservoir. The basin was divided into 13 sub-basins and the water quality was sampled six times during 2018 to determine the water quality index (WQI) for each sub-basin. The land use type and digital elevation model of each sub-basin were derived from remote-sensing data and then used to determine source-sink landscape distribution metrics; including the flow accumulation index (FAI), location-weighted landscape contrast index (LWLI), and landscape capacity distribution index (LCDI). Correlation and regression analysis were then used to compare these indices with the WQI. The WQI had a significant negative correlation with both the LWLI and LCDI, and a weak correlation with the FAI. Results indicated that the land use classification, proportion of source and sink landscape types, landscape flow path length, and landscape nutrient inputs were the main explanatory factors for river water quality in the basin. The biggest challenge in the research process is to obtain the parameters of landscape pattern index and its tedious calculation formula. The most successful part of the study is that it takes into account the flow path, roughness coefficient of land, nutrient input and other factors, more truly simulates the rainfall runoff process under natural conditions, and obtains better regression results between each evaluation index and water quality index. These findings show that remote-sensing data can be used in lieu of direct sampling to evaluate basin-water quality. Furthermore, these data can be used to predict the impact of future land use changes on water quality and facilitate more effective watershed management.

Estimation of reservoir evaporation losses for China

Reservoirs are important for water resources management, including water storage, flood control, and power generation. At the same time, reservoirs cause water losses through evaporation. As the largest developing country in the world, China has built a large number of reservoirs, and it is necessary to estimate China’s reservoir evaporation losses. This study estimated monthly reservoir evaporation losses for 916 large reservoirs in China from 1985 to 2018. Total evaporation losses significantly increased (p < 0.05) because of significant increases in evaporation rate (p < 0.05) and reservoir surface area (p < 0.05) from 1985 to 2018. In 2018, total reservoir evaporation losses were 140.2 × 108 m3, which is about 1.1 times the amount of water transferred in the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China. Total evaporation losses of large reservoirs in China are significantly smaller than that in the United States, although total storage capacities of large reservoirs in the two countries are similar. This is mainly due to the larger average depth and smaller area of China’s large reservoirs. The results provide a useful reference for reservoir design and water resources management in the world.

Real-Time Control of the Middle Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project

Scientific and effective operation control of the Middle Route of South-to-North Water Diversion Project (MRP) is crucial to ensure water conveyance safety. As the longest water transfer project in China, its operation is confronted with unprecedented difficulties since it is controlled by a large number of check gates and diversion gates, subject to multiple constraints, and has no online regulation reservoirs. No automatic control models have been successfully put into use yet. This paper firstly introduced an expanded downstream depth operation method, and then scheduled the delivery using the volume balance principle and chartography according to the possible combination of flow change of the check gate, water volume change of the pool and flow change of diversions. Next, an improved real-time control model was established on the basis of PI controller, and the models were integrated into an automatic system for daily operation. Finally, a case study was carried out. Results showed that water level variations could be controlled within the target interval (0.25 m), and users’ demands could be met five times more rapidly. In addition, the total times of check gate operation could be reduced almost two times. The findings could promote the intelligent operation of the MRP.

Assessment of Soil Erosion in the Qinba Mountains of the Southern Shaanxi Province in China Using the RUSLE Model

The Southern Shaanxi Province, an important ecological security barrier area in central China, is the primary water source of the south-to-north water transfer project in China. However, severe soil erosion seriously affects the safety of regional ecological security and water quality of the water diversion project. To reveal the characteristics and variation of soil erosion in the southern Shaanxi Province after the implementation of a series of eco-environmental construction measures, in this study, the spatio-temporal characteristics of soil erosion from 2000 to 2014 were evaluated based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The average soil erosion of southern Shaanxi Province in China was characterized as slight (less than 500 t·km–2·a–1) and mild erosion (500–2500 t·km–2·a–1) with an average soil erosion modulus of 1443.49 t·km–2·a–1, 1710.49 t·km–2·a–1, 1771.99 t·km–2·a–1 and 1647.74 t·km–2·a–1 in 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2014, respectively. The results revealed an increase in soil erosion until 2000 and a mitigation during the period of 2000 to 2014. After 2010, the soil erosion was controlled effectively. The spatial distribution of soil erosion displayed obvious spatial heterogeneity, and the high soil erosion (greater than 2500 t·km–2·a–1) was primarily distributed in the north-central and south counties of the study area. The soil erosion remained high and aggravated in six counties (i.e., Zhen’an, Zhashui, Ningshan, Ningqiang, Lueyang and Shanyang), and high erosion (greater than 5000 t·km–2·a–1) was found in the regions with slope gradients greater than 35 degrees and the middle mountainous (800–2000 m) regions. Therefore, the eco-environmental construction measures could effectively control soil erosion. However, unreasonable human activities remain the primary cause of soil erosion in the southern Shaanxi Province. In the future, more comprehensive and thorough ecological construction measures will be necessary to ensure regional ecological security and the eco-environmental quality of water sources.

Measuring the impact of research

Measuring the impact of research

Estimation Method of Inundation Extent Based on Mathematical Morphology

Estimation of inundation extent is critical for the flood control system. It helps decision-maker determine the scope of damage to save residents’ lives and property. In this paper, we analyzed the drawbacks of two kinds of methods of inundation estimation, hydrodynamic method and space-filling method, and divided inundation extent into water-body extent and water-invasion extent for the purpose of enhancing estimation accuracy. Based on Mathematical Morphology, an inundation estimation method suitable for flood mapping around natural and artificial lakes was put forward by integrating remote sensing (RS) data and digital elevation model (DEM) data. This method consists of three aspects, including the subdivision of water-body extent, the deduction of water-invasion extent which is viewed as the expansion of water-body extent, and the smoothing the boundaries of water-invasion extent. With subdividing DEM data horizontally into cross sections to build equiangular subsets, the expansion operation was implemented by structuring elements which were established based on set operations and scalar flexibilities. Thus, water-invasion extent was easily described by the structuring elements under given water volume, so that inundation extent was conveniently estimated by spatial data. The experiment results show that the method has the advantages of high accuracy and expressiveness and low time consumption. It had been used to analyze the inundation caused by the water conservancy project named Hanjiang-to-Weihe River Water Transfer Project in China. The method served as decision support for building an efficient emergency response mechanism and helped implement flood disaster forecast and simulation.

Study of factors influencing the invasion of Golden Mussels (Limnoperna fortunei) in water transfer projects

Water transfer projects are effective measures to solve the uneven distribution of water resources in China. However, these projects create highways for Golden Mussels (Limnoperna fortunei), which are aquatic invasive species, to invade new habitats. This has caused a series of problems such as structure corrosion, enhanced flow resistance, pipe blocking, and water pollution. In order to design remediation strategies, it is important to understand the factors influencing the Golden Mussel invasion. This paper investigates the invasion of Golden Mussels in the East River Water Source Project and the Northern Inter-basin Water Transfer project in China. The maximum densities of Golden Mussel attachment in these projects are about 10 000 ind. m−2. Flow velocity was found to be a significant influencing factor: the optimal flow velocity for attachment is in the range of 0.3 to 0.9 m s−1. Water temperature was also an important factor: the water temperature in the cold season influences the density of Golden Mussels and additionally, their growth and shell size are related to food competition between different individuals and water temperature. There was no obvious relationship between the pressure and the attachment density of Golden Mussels. Because all data was obtained during an infrequent pause in the water transfer projects, the data of this study is limited and the conclusions are preliminary descriptive observations. For future management decisions, more rigorous studies should be conducted to develop quantitative models aimed at providing a confident basis for controlling Golden Mussel invasion in water transfer projects.

Automatic Control of the Middle Route Project for South-to-North Water Transfer Based on Linear Model Predictive Control Algorithm

The application of automatic control to irrigation canals is an important means of improving the efficiency of water delivery. The Middle Route Project (MRP) for South-to-North Water Transfer, the largest water transfer project in China, is currently under manual control. Given the complexity of the MRP, there is an urgent need to adopt some form of automatic control. This paper describes the application of model predictive control (MPC), a popular real time control algorithm particularly suited to the automatic control of multi-pool irrigation water delivery systems, to the MRP using a linear control model. This control system is tested in part of the MRP by means of numerical simulations. The results show that the control system can deal with both known and unknown disturbances, albeit with a degree of resonance in some short pools. However, it takes a long time for the MRP to reach a stable state under the MPC system and the calculation time for the whole MRP network would be too long to satisfy the requirements of real-time control. Suggestions are presented for the construction of an automatic control system for the MRP.

A novel comprehensive risk assessment method for sudden water accidents in the Middle Route of the South–North Water Transfer Project (China)

The Middle Route of the South–North Water Transfer Project in China consists of a long open canal and complex hydraulic structures. It provides drinking water for Beijing, Shijiazhuang, and other cities under extremely strict water quality requirements. In the recent decades, water pollution accidents have frequently occurred in water transfer projects. Scientific and effective risk assessment is needed to assess the impact on the overall emergency management, which should be considered to incorporate social, economic, and environmental issues in the timely response to and management of emergencies. In this study, we combine the Drivers–Pressures–State–Impact–Response model, fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method, and coordinated development degree model into a comprehensive risk assessment tool. This new approach was tested on an emergency drilling simulation related to a sudden MRP water pollution accident in 2016. Based on the combined integration weight ranking, “water delivery status,” “pollution accident characteristics,” “town size,” and “public satisfaction” play prominent roles in the risk assessment. Especially, “town size” is identified as the most important influent factor. The Drivers–Pressures–State–Impact–Response model index system and comprehensive risk assessment method can be used to evaluate accidents more scientifically and versatile, which helps managers or experts to make faster and more efficient decisions.

A game-based production operation model for water resource management: An analysis of the South-to-North Water Transfer Project in China

Abstract: To alleviate water shortage, several water transfer projects have been constructed in China. To further develop the supply chain management of water resources, the Eastern and Central Routes of China's South-to-North Water Transfer Project are considered as two water suppliers. The two suppliers provide water for two distributors in northern China. Based on a two-stage Stackelberg game, we develop a chain-to-chain competition model in three alternating scenarios including under wholesale price contracts, two-part pricing contracts and mixed pricing contracts, and derive the optimal pricing and ordering strategies. We find that each water supply chain member can earn a higher profit under the two-part pricing contract with appropriate parameters compared to that under the wholesale price contract. When the competition is weak, the performance of the supply chain subsystem under the two-part pricing contract is better than that under the wholesale pricing contract. On the contrary, when the competition is strong, the performance of the supply chain under the two-part pricing contract is lower than that under the wholesale price contract. With the two-part pricing contract used for both water supply chains, the two suppliers are in the prisoners' dilemma. The study expands the theory of supply chain management under competition and provides insights for the sustainability of water resource management.