Parsons Laboratory

Although the importance of hydrologic uncertainty is widely recognized it is rarely considered in control problems, especially real-time control. One of the reasons is that stochastic control is computationally expensive, especially when control decisions are derived from spatially distributed models. This talk reviews relevant control concepts and describes how reduced order models can make stochastic control feasible for computationally demanding applications. The ideas are illustrated with a classic problem -- hydraulic control of a moving contaminant plume.