Research Papers - Department of Civil Engineering

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    PublicationOpen Access
    Hydrological models and Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to simulate streamflow in a tropical catchment of Sri Lanka
    (10.1155/2021/6683389, 2021-05) Gunathilake, M. B; Karunanayake, C; Gunathilake, A. S; Samarasinghe, T; Bandara, I. M; Rathnayake, U. S
    Accurate streamflow estimations are essential for planning and decision-making of many development activities related to water resources. Hydrological modelling is a frequently adopted and a matured technique to simulate streamflow compared to the data driven models such as artificial neural networks (ANNs). In addition, usage of ANNs is minimum to simulate streamflow in the context of Sri Lanka. Therefore, this study presents an intercomparison between streamflow estimations from conventional hydrological modelling and ANN analysis for Seethawaka River Basin located in the upstream part of the Kelani River Basin, Sri Lanka. The hydrological model was developed using the Hydrologic Engineering Centre-Hydrologic Modelling System (HEC-HMS), while the data-driven ANN model was developed in MATLAB. The rainfall and streamflows’ data for 2003–2010 period have been used. The simulations by HEC-HMS were performed by four types of input rainfall data configurations, including observed rainfall data sets and three satellite-based precipitation products (SbPPs), namely, PERSIANN, PERSIANN-CCS, and PERSIANN-CDR. The ANN model was trained using three well-known training algorithms, namely, Levenberg–Marquadt (LM), Bayesian regularization (BR), and scaled conjugate gradient (SCG). Results revealed that the simulated hydrological model based on observed rainfall outperformed those of based on remotely sensed SbPPs. BR algorithm-based ANN algorithm was found to be superior among the data-driven models in the context of ANN model simulations. However, none of the above developed models were able to capture several peak discharges recorded in the Seethawaka River. The results of this study indicate that ANN models can be used to simulate streamflow to an acceptable level, despite presence of intensive spatial and temporal data sets, which are often required for hydrologic software. Hence, the results of the current study provide valuable feedback for water resources’ planners in the developing region which lack multiple data sets for hydrologic software.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Inflow forecast of Iranamadu reservoir, Sri Lanka under projected climate scenarios using artificial neural networks
    (Hindawi 10.1155/2020/8821627, 2020-11) Karunanayake, C; Gunathilake, M. B; Rathnayake, U. S
    Prediction of water resources for future years takes much attention from the water resources planners and relevant authorities. However, traditional computational models like hydrologic models need many data about the catchment itself. Sometimes these important data on catchments are not available due to many reasons. Therefore, artificial neural networks (ANNs) are useful soft computing tools in predicting real-world scenarios, such as forecasting future water availability from a catchment, in the absence of intensive data, which are required for modeling practices in the context of hydrology. These ANNs are capable of building relationships to nonlinear real-world problems using available data and then to use that built relationship to forecast future needs. Even though Sri Lanka has an extensive usage of water resources for many activities, including drinking water supply, irrigation, hydropower development, navigation, and many other recreational purposes, forecasting studies for water resources are not being carried out. Therefore, there is a significant gap in forecasting water availability and water needs in the context of Sri Lanka. Thus, this paper presents an artificial neural network model to forecast the inflows of one of the most important reservoirs in northern Sri Lanka using the upstream catchment’s rainfall. Future rainfall data are extracted using regional climate models for the years 2021–2050 and the inflows of the reservoir are forecasted using the validated neural network model. Several training algorithms including Levenberg–Marquardt (LM), BFGS quasi-Newton (BFG), scaled conjugate gradient (SCG) have been used to find the best fitting training algorithm to the prediction process of the inflows against the measured inflows. Results revealed that the LM training algorithm outperforms the other tests algorithm in developing the prediction model. In addition, the forecasted results using the projected climate scenarios clearly showcase the benefit of using the forecasting model in solving future water resource management to avoid or to minimize future water scarcity. Therefore, the validated model can effectively be used for proper planning of the proposed drinking water supply scheme to the nearby urban city, Jaffna in northern Sri Lanka.
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Statistical evaluation and hydrologic simulation capacity of different satellite-based precipitation products (SbPPs) in the Upper Nan River Basin, Northern Thailand
    (Elsevier, 2020-10) Gunathilake, M. B; Amaratunga, V; Perera, A; Karunanayake, C; Gunathilake, A. S; Rathnayake, U. S
    Study region: The Upper Nan River Basin, Northern Thailand Study focus: Precipitation is a major component of the hydrological cycle. A large number of remotely sensed precipitation products are used in hydro-meteorological studies. The accuracy of these relies on basin climatology, basin topography, precipitation mechanism and precipitation sampling techniques used in satellites. Hence, the precipitation products should be validated. Numerous studies have evaluated the reliability of satellite-based precipitation products (SbPPs) in the tropical Asia. However, a handful of research has yet examined the reliability of these in Thailand. Therefore, in this study the reliability of six SbPPs namely, PERSIANN, PER- SIANN
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    PublicationOpen Access
    Projection of future hydropower generation in Samanalawewa power plant, Sri Lanka
    (Hindawi, 2020-10) Khaniya, B; Karunanayake, C; Gunathilake, M. B
    +e projection of future hydropower generation is extremely important for the sustainable development of any country, which utilizes hydropower as one of the major sources of energy to plan the country’s power management system. Hydropower generation, on the other hand, is mostly dependent on the weather and climate dynamics of the local area. In this paper, we aim to study the impact of climate change on the future performance of the Samanalawewa hydropower plant located in Sri Lanka using artificial neural networks (ANNs). ANNs are one of the most effective machine learning tools for examining nonlinear relationships between the variables to understand complex hydrological processes. Validated ANN model is used to project the future power generation from 2020 to 2050 using future projected rainfall data extracted from regional climate models. Results showcased that the forecasted hydropower would increase in significant percentages (7.29% and 10.22%) for the two tested climatic scenarios (RCP4.5 and RCP8.5). +erefore, this analysis showcases the capability of ANN in projecting nonstationary patterns of power generation from hydropower plants. +e projected results are of utmost importance to stakeholders to manage reservoir operations while maximizing the productivity of the impounded water and thus, maximizing economic growth as well as social benefits.