Design of a Visual Basic HEC-RAS interface to test influence of daily regulation of a hydropower plant on navigation

Abstract The Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software package developed by the U.S. The Army Corps of Engineers is a widely used software package designed mainly for modeling steady and unsteady water flow in rivers. Although the software includes tools for implementing...

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Main Authors: Peter Šulek, Martin Orfánus
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer 2025-04-01
Series:Discover Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-06785-w
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author Peter Šulek
Martin Orfánus
author_facet Peter Šulek
Martin Orfánus
author_sort Peter Šulek
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software package developed by the U.S. The Army Corps of Engineers is a widely used software package designed mainly for modeling steady and unsteady water flow in rivers. Although the software includes tools for implementing basic control elements, HEC-RAS users often require additional unique functions including integration with other software. This is made possible by means of the HEC-RAS Controller, an application programming interface (API) that allows manual interaction with HEC-RAS to enable automated control through user-defined code directly from other programming environments. The main goal of this study was to design a universal software architecture for linking HEC-RAS with Visual Basic using the API, which enables users to enter the unsteady flow boundary condition directly as the demand power output if the river system under analysis includes a hydropower plant. The effectiveness of the proposed approach and its applicability to real-world operational management environments were demonstrated through a case study of the Gabčíkovo hydropower plant on the Danube River in Slovakia. The integration of the HEC-RAS with Visual Basic enabled the simulation of the Danube River's water-level regime within a reasonable time and with adequate accuracy, allowing for the analysis of the impact of daily flow regulation on navigation conditions downstream of the hydropower plant.
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spelling doaj-art-40cdd73fd2f9486db6ac488170cc580a2025-08-20T02:28:04ZengSpringerDiscover Applied Sciences3004-92612025-04-017411910.1007/s42452-025-06785-wDesign of a Visual Basic HEC-RAS interface to test influence of daily regulation of a hydropower plant on navigationPeter Šulek0Martin Orfánus1Department of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in BratislavaDepartment of Hydraulic Engineering, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in BratislavaAbstract The Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software package developed by the U.S. The Army Corps of Engineers is a widely used software package designed mainly for modeling steady and unsteady water flow in rivers. Although the software includes tools for implementing basic control elements, HEC-RAS users often require additional unique functions including integration with other software. This is made possible by means of the HEC-RAS Controller, an application programming interface (API) that allows manual interaction with HEC-RAS to enable automated control through user-defined code directly from other programming environments. The main goal of this study was to design a universal software architecture for linking HEC-RAS with Visual Basic using the API, which enables users to enter the unsteady flow boundary condition directly as the demand power output if the river system under analysis includes a hydropower plant. The effectiveness of the proposed approach and its applicability to real-world operational management environments were demonstrated through a case study of the Gabčíkovo hydropower plant on the Danube River in Slovakia. The integration of the HEC-RAS with Visual Basic enabled the simulation of the Danube River's water-level regime within a reasonable time and with adequate accuracy, allowing for the analysis of the impact of daily flow regulation on navigation conditions downstream of the hydropower plant.https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-06785-wHEC-RASHEC-RAS controllerAPIWater flow simulationNavigation demandsHydropower plant
spellingShingle Peter Šulek
Martin Orfánus
Design of a Visual Basic HEC-RAS interface to test influence of daily regulation of a hydropower plant on navigation
Discover Applied Sciences
HEC-RAS
HEC-RAS controller
API
Water flow simulation
Navigation demands
Hydropower plant
title Design of a Visual Basic HEC-RAS interface to test influence of daily regulation of a hydropower plant on navigation
title_full Design of a Visual Basic HEC-RAS interface to test influence of daily regulation of a hydropower plant on navigation
title_fullStr Design of a Visual Basic HEC-RAS interface to test influence of daily regulation of a hydropower plant on navigation
title_full_unstemmed Design of a Visual Basic HEC-RAS interface to test influence of daily regulation of a hydropower plant on navigation
title_short Design of a Visual Basic HEC-RAS interface to test influence of daily regulation of a hydropower plant on navigation
title_sort design of a visual basic hec ras interface to test influence of daily regulation of a hydropower plant on navigation
topic HEC-RAS
HEC-RAS controller
API
Water flow simulation
Navigation demands
Hydropower plant
url https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-06785-w
work_keys_str_mv AT petersulek designofavisualbasichecrasinterfacetotestinfluenceofdailyregulationofahydropowerplantonnavigation
AT martinorfanus designofavisualbasichecrasinterfacetotestinfluenceofdailyregulationofahydropowerplantonnavigation