Digital Twin Hydropower Simulation Software in Saudi Arabia: Run the Aswan High Dam

Hydropower looks simple until the water runs short. Output depends on head and flow, head depends on the reservoir, and the reservoir depends on inflow, evaporation and every decision made in previous months. Digital twin hydropower simulation software puts that whole chain in front of students and lets them run years in minutes.

The ASFAN Renewable Energy Digital Twin rebuilds the Aswan High Dam in Egypt, with Lake Nasser, the rock-fill dam, twelve Francis units and the Toshka spillway, as a live 3D model. The reservoir balance, the turbine hill chart and the grid are all calculated, so a drought or a record flood produces the numbers it would produce in the model, not a scripted animation. This guide is written for universities, technical colleges and training centres in Saudi Arabia.

What the hydropower digital twin simulates

The reference plant is the Aswan High Dam in Egypt. Its figures come from the operator’s published data and are shown on the plant data sheet inside the program.

Lake Nasser holds about 132 km³ of live storage. The twin runs the reservoir balance (inflow, evaporation, turbine and spillway discharge), the turbine hill chart, grid frequency and generator temperatures, and shows what a drought, a record flood or a major overhaul does to the output.

Live values on the dashboard

The dashboard shows gauges with limit marks, trend charts over one hour, 24 hours or 31 days, a Sankey energy-flow diagram and the live alarm list. For this plant the main gauges are:

• Net power to grid
• Reservoir level
• Storage
• Net head
• Turbine discharge
• Units online
• Turbine efficiency
• Grid frequency
• Generator winding temperature

Scenarios to run in class

Each scenario changes the plant with one click, and every value downstream follows. Run one, let the class predict what will happen, then compare with the twin:

• Average year: the reference hydrology.
• Drought (low reservoir): falling head and restricted discharge; students see why a low lake costs more than its volume.
• Record flood year: high inflow, the spillway comes into play and operators must decide what to pass and what to store.
• Major overhaul (4 units out): a third of the powerhouse offline and a clear lesson in maintenance planning.

Plant components you can inspect

Click a label in the 3D view, or a component in the side list, to see its live values and a short description:

• Lake Nasser reservoir
• Rock-fill dam
• Intake & penstocks
• Powerhouse
• Toshka spillway
• Tailrace
• 500 kV switchyard

What students learn

Each technology comes with its own Learn pages (overview, the process step by step, the key equations, the real plant data sheet, environment and a glossary) and its own quiz bank. Typical learning outcomes:

• Apply P = ρ·g·Q·H·η and see each term as a live value on the dashboard.
• Read a Francis turbine hill chart and explain why efficiency changes with head and flow.
• Balance a reservoir over time: inflow, evaporation, turbine and spillway discharge.
• Connect generator loading to grid frequency and winding temperature.

Quizzes run in practice or timed exam mode, include questions on live data, and print certificates. With a supervisor licence, results from the whole class are collected in a shared folder, with no server needed. For hands-on equipment practice, pair the twin with ASFAN’s VR hydropower training.

Build your own hydropower plant

Studying a new hydro site? Enter the head, design flow, number of units and reservoir size, and the program builds a 3D twin of your scheme and runs the same hydropower physics on your numbers.

This twin is one of seven in the same program. See the overview of digital twin renewable energy simulation software for the other six plants.

Trial, licences and system requirements

The 14-day trial opens all seven 3D digital twins with live values, camera presets and day/night lighting, every Learn page, both interface languages and simulation speeds up to 10×. A licence unlocks the dashboard, Plant Data and scenarios, the quiz and certificates, reports and data export, the faster simulation speeds, the plant builder and Classroom mode. Licences are monthly or annual and can cover all seven technologies or only the ones you teach; supervisor licences add the Classroom results table.

• Operating system: Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
• Memory: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB or more recommended
• Graphics: any chip with WebGL 2 (Intel HD 500 series or newer)
• Disk: 600 MB minimum, 1 GB recommended
• Internet: not required; used only for automatic updates and satellite imagery
• User rights: standard user, no administrator password

FAQ: Digital Twin Hydropower Simulation Software

What is digital twin hydropower simulation software?

It is software that rebuilds a hydropower plant in 3D and drives it with a physics model, so reservoir level, head, discharge, turbine efficiency and output are calculated live. The ASFAN Renewable Energy Digital Twin does this for the Aswan High Dam.

Which turbines does the Aswan twin model?

Twelve Francis units of 175 MW each, 2,100 MW in total, with a turbine hill chart that sets efficiency from head and flow.

Can I simulate a drought or a flood?

Yes. One-click scenarios cover an average year, a drought with a low reservoir, a record flood year and a major overhaul with four units out.

Is the reservoir data live from Aswan?

No. The model runs on published design data and typical hydrology. It is an educational simulator; its values are estimates, not operational measurements.

How can I try the hydropower twin?

Download the 14-day trial for Windows. All seven 3D twins, including Aswan, and every Learn page are open immediately, with no key or payment.