Efficiency of Various Optimization Methods in the Operation of Haraz Dam Reservoir

Optimal operation of dam reservoirs is important due to their role in runoff control and water supply for different sectors. In this study, the Firefly Algorithm (FA) is investigated to solve the problem of optimal operation of Haraz dam reservoir to provide water for agriculture, drinking, industry and environmental of downstream for a period of 27 years (since 1984 to 2011). The objective function was defined as minimizing the sum of squared monthly relative deficiencies during operation. The efficiency of these algorithms was compared and evaluated by determination of reservoir performance indices, the value of objective function, annual deficit, monthly average deficit and release. FA method with reliability of 88.3 percent is supplied the downstream demands better than GA and SOP with reliability of 82.4 and 66.7 percent. The Vulnerability index of models is obtained 0.20, 0.23 and 0.99, respectively. The results showed the better performance of FA algorithm compared to the other two methods in solving the problem of the reservoir operation.