Analytical method for estimating leakage of reservoir basins for pumped storage power stations

Pumped storage power stations are increasingly constructed around cities to provide electric power and ensure grid stability. However, the upper reservoirs are typically located on mountaintops, and the reservoir leakage, which directly affects the economic benefits, is typically difficult to estimate. Therefore, to calculate the leakage within a short period, a one-dimensional simplified analytical method for estimating the leakage of pumped storage power station reservoir basins is proposed based on the stable seepage theory and Darcy’s law. Formulae are derived to calculate the seepage flux of the reservoir basin with different groundwater levels, which can be below or above the bottom of the reservoir basin. The reliability of this analytical method was validated using numerical analysis with regard to a pumped storage power station in China, and the relative errors between the analytical results and the numerical results are less than 5%. The proposed method is beneficial for engineering decision-making and design before the construction of pumped storage power stations.