Hydroelectric power is a relatively cheap, reliable, sustainable, and renewable source of energy that can be generated without toxic waste and considerably lower emissions of greenhouse gases than fossil fuel energy plants. Conventional hydroelectric plants produce energy by the controlled release of dammed reservoir water to one or more turbines via a penstock. The kinetic energy of the falling water produces a rotational motion of the turbine shaft and this mechanical energy is converted into electricity via a power generator. Dam-based plants are among the largest and most flexible power producing facilities in the world, yet their construction and operation is costly and can damage and disrupt upstream and downstream ecosystems and have catastrophic effects on downriver settlements and infrastructure. Run-of-the-river (RoR) hydroelectric stations are an attractive and environmentally friendly alternative to dam-based facilities. These plants divert water from a flowing river to a turbine and do not require the formation of a reservoir. Despite their minimal impact on the surrounding environment and communities, the potential of RoR plants has not been fully explored and exploited. For example, in the United States it is estimated that RoR plants could annually produce $60,000$ MW, or about 13% of the total electricity consumption in 2016. Here, we introduce a numerical model, called HYdroPowER or HYPER, which uses a daily time step to simulate the technical performance, energy production, maintenance and operational costs, and economic profit of a RoR plant in response to a suite of different design and construction variables and record of river flows. The model is coded in MATLAB and includes a built-in evolutionary algorithm that enables the user to maximize the RoR plant's power production or net economic profit by optimizing (among others) the penstock diameter, and the type (Kaplan, Francis, Pelton and Crossflow) design flow, and configuration (single/parallel) of the turbine system. Unlike other published models, this module of HYPER carefully considers each turbine's design flow, admissible suction head, specific and rotational speed in evaluating the technical performance, cost and economic profit of a RoR plant. Two case studies illustrate the power and practical applicability of HYPER. Some of their results confirm earlier literature findings, that (I) the optimum capacity and design flow of a RoR plant is controlled by the river's flow duration curve, (II) a highly variable turbine inflow compromises energy production, and (III) a side-by-side dual turbine system enhances considerably the range of workable flows, operational flexibility and energy production of a RoR plant. HYPER includes a GUI and is available upon request from the authors.

水力发电是一种相对便宜，可靠，可持续和可再生的能源，与化石燃料发电厂相比，它可以在没有有毒废物的情况下产生并减少温室气体的排放。传统的水力发电厂通过将蓄积的水库水通过压力控制装置释放到一个或多个涡轮机中来产生能量。下落的水的动能产生涡轮轴的旋转运动，并且该机械能通过发电机转换为电能。基于水坝的发电厂是世界上最大，最灵活的发电设备之一，但其建设和运营成本高昂，会破坏和破坏上游和下游的生态系统，并对下游定居点和基础设施造成灾难性影响。沿河运行（RoR）水电站是基于大坝的设施的一种有吸引力且对环境友好的替代方案。这些植物将水从流动的河流转移到涡轮机，不需要形成水库。尽管它们对周围环境和社区的影响微乎其微，但尚未完全开发和利用RoR植物的潜力。例如，在美国，据估计RoR植物可以每年生产$60，000$兆瓦，约占2016年总用电量的13％。在这里，我们引入一个称为HYdroPowER或HYPER的数值模型，该模型使用每日时间步长来模拟技术性能，能源生产，维护和运营成本以及经济效益应对一系列设计和施工变量以及河水流量记录做出反应的RoR工厂。该模型在MATLAB中进行了编码，并包含一个内置的演化算法，该算法使用户能够通过优化（尤其是）压力管道直径和类型（Kaplan，Francis，Pelton和Crossflow）来最大化RoR工厂的发电量或净经济利润。 ）的设计流程和涡轮机系统的配置（单/并联）。与其他已发布的型号不同，HYPER的此模块会仔细考虑每台涡轮机的设计流程，允许的吸水头，比值和转速来评估RoR工厂的技术性能，成本和经济效益。两个案例研究说明了HYPER的强大功能和实际适用性。他们的一些结果证实了较早的文献发现，（I）RoR工厂的最佳容量和设计流量由河流的持续时间曲线控制，（II）高度可变的涡轮机进水会损害能源生产，并且（III）一侧并排双涡轮系统极大地提高了RoR工厂的工作流程，操作灵活性和能源生产范围。HYPER包含一个GUI，可应作者要求提供。他们的一些结果证实了较早的文献发现，（I）RoR工厂的最佳容量和设计流量由河流的持续时间曲线控制，（II）高度可变的涡轮机进水会损害能源生产，并且（III）一侧并排双涡轮系统大大提高了RoR工厂的工作流程，操作灵活性和能源生产范围。HYPER包含一个GUI，可应作者要求提供。他们的一些结果证实了较早的文献发现，（I）RoR工厂的最佳容量和设计流量由河流的持续时间曲线控制，（II）高度可变的涡轮机进水会损害能源生产，并且（III）一侧并排双涡轮系统大大提高了RoR工厂的工作流程，操作灵活性和能源生产范围。HYPER包含一个GUI，可应作者要求提供。