Jimma University

Jimma Institute of Technology

Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic Engineering Chair
Hydropower Engineering-I

How to Determine Capacity of a Storage Reservoir?

The capacity of a storage reservoir is determined on the basis of the inflow to the reservoir
and the demand of the consumers (or the yield of the reservoir).

The following two methods are generally used for determining the capacity of a storage
reservoir:

1. Analytical Method:

In this method an analysis of demand and inflow of water per month of the year is made.
The following data are required:
I. Total inflow of the stream during each month of a critical low flow year (or dry year)
at the reservoir site.
II. Total loss of water due to evaporation, percolation, etc., during each month of the
year.
III. Total precipitation (if any) during each month of the year.
IV. Total amount of water required to be released from the reservoir during each month
of the year to satisfy the prior water right requirements of the residents on the
downstream of the reservoir.
V. Total demand of water during each month of the year.

The following procedure is adopted to determine the capacity of the storage reservoir:
I. From the total inflow of the stream during each month, the total loss of water due to
evaporation, percolation, etc., and the total amount of water to be released to meet the
downstream requirements during that month are subtracted and the total amount of
precipitation (if any) during the same month is added. This gives the adjusted or net
inflow of the stream for different months of the year.
II. By subtracting the adjusted or net inflow from the demand the deficiency or the
amount of water required from the storage to meet the demand for different months is
obtained. However, if the demand is less than the adjusted or net inflow it indicates a
surplus.
III. The total deficiency during the successive months gives the required capacity of the
storage reservoir.

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 Jimma University
Jimma Institute of Technology
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic Engineering Chair
Hydropower Engineering-I

IV. If provision is to be made for two or three successive dry years, the capacity obtained
in step (iii) is increased accordingly.

2. Mass Curve Method:

Mass Curve and Determination of Capacity of a Storage Reservoir Required For a Specified
Yield or Demand Using Mass Curve:
Mass Curve of Inflow:
A mass curve of inflow (or mass curve) is a plot of accumulated flow in a stream against
time. As indicated below a mass curve of inflow can be prepared from the flow hydrograph
of a stream for a large number of consecutive previous years.

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 Jimma University
Jimma Institute of Technology
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic Engineering Chair
Hydropower Engineering-I

Figure 3.13 (a) shows a typical flow hydrograph of a stream for six consecutive years. The
area under the hydrograph from the starting year (i.e., 1953) up to any time t1 [shown by
hatching in Fig. 3.13 (a)] represents the total quantity of water that has flown through the
stream from 1953 up to t1 time and hence it is equal to the ordinate of the mass curve at time
t1.
The ordinates of the mass curve corresponding to different times are thus determined and
plotted at the respective times to obtain the mass curve as shown in Fig. 3.13 (b). A mass
curve continuously rises as it shows accumulated flows.
The slope of the curve at any point indicates the rate of flow at that particular time. If there is
no flow during certain period the curve will be horizontal during that period. If there is high
rate of flow the curve rises steeply. Thus relatively dry periods are indicated as concave
depressions on the mass curve.
Mass Curve of Demand:
A mass curve of demand (or demand curve) is a plot between accumulated demand and time
(Fig. 3.14). If the demand is at a constant rate then the demand curve is a straight line [Fig.
3.14 (a)] having its slope equal to the demand rate. However, if the demand is not constant
then the demand curve will be curved [Fig. 3.14 (b)] indicating a variable rate of demand.

Determination of Capacity of a Storage Reservoir required for a Specified Yield or

Demand using Mass Curve:
The capacity of a storage reservoir required for a specified yield or demand may be
determined by using mass curve of inflow and mass curve of demand or demand curve
as indicated below:

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 Jimma University
Jimma Institute of Technology
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic Engineering Chair
Hydropower Engineering-I

1. A mass curve of inflow is prepared from the flow hydrograph for a number of
consecutive years selected from the available stream flow record such that it
includes the most critical or the driest period. Figure 3.15 shows a mass curve of
inflow for a typical stream for a 6 year period.
2. Corresponding to the given rate of demand, a demand curve is prepared. If the rate
of demand is constant then the corresponding demand curve is a straight line as
shown in Fig. 3.15.

3. Lines such as GH, FJ, etc., are drawn parallel to the demand curve and tangential
to the high points G, F, etc., of the mass curve of inflow (or the points at the
beginning of the dry periods).

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 Jimma University
Jimma Institute of Technology
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic Engineering Chair
Hydropower Engineering-I

4. The maximum vertical intercepts X1, Y1 X2Y2 etc., between the tangential lines
drawn in step (3) and mass curve are measured. The vertical intercepts indicate the
volume by which the total flow in the stream falls short of the demand and hence
required to be provided from the reservoir storage. For example assuming the
reservoir to be full at G, for a period corresponding to points G and Z1, there is a
total flow in the stream represented by Y1Z1 and there is a total demand
represented by X1Z1 leaving a gap of volume represented by X1Y1 which must be
met with from the reservoir storage.
5. The largest of the maximum vertical intercepts X1Y1, X2Y2, etc., determined in
step (4) represents the reservoir capacity required to satisfy the given demand.
However, the requirement of storage so obtained would be the net storage which
must be available for utilization and it must be increased by the amount of water
lost by evaporation and percolation.
As shown in Fig. 3.15 the vertical distance between the successive tangential lines such as
GH and FJ represents the quantity of water which could spill over from the reservoir through
the spillway and go as a waste to the downstream side. This is so because between H and F
the reservoir would remain full and all inflow in excess of demand would flow through the
spill-way to the downstream side.
The tangential lines drawn parallel to the demand curve when extended forward must
intersect the mass curve, such as at H, J, etc., so that the reservoir which was full at G and F
will be filled again at H and J. However, if the line does not intersect the mass curve, the
reservoir will not be filled again. Moreover, if the reservoir is very large the time interval
between the points G and H, F and J, etc., may be several years.
For the numerical example indicated in Fig. 3.15, corresponding to a demand of 1.76 ×
105 ha-m per year (or 55.8 cumec) the following results are thus obtained.
i. The required capacity of the reservoir is given by X1Y1 = 1.0 × 105 ha-m
ii. Assuming the reservoir to be full at G, it would be empty at Y 1 and would be full
again at H.
iii. Between H and F the reservoir would remain full and all inflow in excess of the
demand would be discharged through the spillway to the downstream side. The spill
over from the reservoir would be 1.2 × 105 ha-m.
iv. Assuming the reservoir to be full at F, it would be depleted to (1.0 × 10 5-0.64 × 105)
= 0.36 × 105ha-m of storage at Y2 and would be full again at J.

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 Jimma University
Jimma Institute of Technology
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic Engineering Chair
Hydropower Engineering-I

The rate of demand has been assumed to be constant. However, the rate of demand may not
be always constant, in which case the demand curve will be a curve with its slope varying
from point to point in accordance with the variable rate of demand at different times.
In this case also the required capacity of the reservoir can be determined in the same way by
superimposing the demand curve on the mass curve from the high points (or beginning of the
dry period) till the two meet again. The largest vertical intercept between the two curves
gives the required reservoir capacity.
It is, however, essential that the demand curve for the variable demand coincide
chronologically with the mass curve of stream-flow, i.e., June demand must coincide with
June inflow and so on. Furthermore, in this case also the storage obtained must be increased
to account for the water lost by evaporation and percolation.
As shown in Fig. 3.16 if the end points of the mass curve are joined by a straight line AB,
then its slope represents the average discharge of the stream over the total period for which
the mass curve has been plotted. If a reservoir is to be constructed to permit continuous
release of water at this average value of discharge for the entire period then the capacity
required for the reservoir is represented by the vertical intercept between the two straight
lines A’ B’ and A”B” drawn parallel to AB and tangent to the mass curve at the lowest
tangent point C and the highest tangent point D respectively.

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 Jimma University
Jimma Institute of Technology
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic Engineering Chair
Hydropower Engineering-I

If the reservoir having this capacity is assumed to contain a volume of water equal to AA’ at
the beginning of the period, then the reservoir would be full at D and it would be empty at C.
However, if the reservoir was empty in the very beginning, then it would be empty again at
point E and also during the period from F to K. On the other hand if the reservoir was full in
the very beginning it would be full again at points F and K, and between points A and E there
will be spill of water from the reservoir.

Determination of Yield from a Reservoir of Given Capacity:

Mass curve may also be used to determine the yield which may be obtained from a
reservoir of given capacity for which the following procedure may be adopted:

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 Jimma University
Jimma Institute of Technology
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic Engineering Chair
Hydropower Engineering-I

1. A mass curve as shown in Fig. 3.17 is prepared in the same manner as in the above
case.

2. Tangents are drawn at the high points G, F, etc., of the mass curve in such a manner that
their maximum departure from the mass curve does not exceed the given capacity of the
reservoir.
3. The slopes of each of these tangents are measured which indicate the yield which can be
obtained in each year from the reservoir of given capacity. The slope of the flattest demand
curve is the safe or the firm yield.
For the Numerical Example shown in Fig. 3.17 from a reservoir of capacity 1.2 × 10 5 ha-m
the safe yield of 1.68 × 105 ha-m per year may be obtained. It is given by the slope of the
tangent GH which is flatter than that of the tangent FJ.

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 Jimma University
Jimma Institute of Technology
Faculty of Civil & Environmental Engineering
Hydrology and hydraulic Engineering Chair
Hydropower Engineering-I

Uses of flow duration curve:

FDC represents the runoff data for the given time is the curve plotted between the
percentages of time exceeded along abscissa and the flow along ordinates. the flow values
may be daily, weekly or monthly. the FDC is prepared by arranging the flows in decreasing
order of magnitudes as ordinates and the percentage of time under consideration in which the
flow is equaled or exceeded as abscissa. the % of time exceeding is obtained by cumulative
sum % of time