Optimising water distribution systems using a weighted penalty in a genetic algorithm

Abstract

Genetic algorithms (GAs) have become the preferred water system design optimisation technique for many researchers and practitioners. The main reason for using GAs is their ability to deal with nonlinear complex optimisation problems. The optimal decision in terms of designing, expansion/extending, addition or rehabilitation of water supply systems has to review possible options and select a cost-effective and efficient solution. This paper presents a new approach in determining a penalty value depending on the degree of failure, of the set pressure criteria, and the importance of the link supplying a specific node. Further modifications are also made in the cross-over and mutation procedures to ensure an increase in algorithm convergence. EPANET, a widely used water distribution network simulation model, is used in conjunction with the proposed newly developed GA for the optimisation of water distribution systems. The developed GA procedure has been incorporated in a software package called GANEO, which can be used to design new networks, analyse existing networks and prioritise improvements on existing networks. The developed GA has been tested on several international benchmark problems and has proved to be very efficient and robust. The EPANET hydraulic modelling software as well as the developed GANEO software, which performs the optimisation of the water distribution network, is freeware. The software provides a tool for consulting engineers to optimise the design or rehabilitation of a water distribution network.

Joint Operation of Pressure-Reducing Valves and Pumps for Improving the Efficiency of Water Distribution Systems

“…Several mathematical approaches have been developed to treat the problems associated with penalty functions (Wu and Simpson, 2002;Van Dijk et al, 2008;Vassiljev et al, 2015). Among them, (Marchiori et al) present a broad comparison among various penalty functions applied to WDN optimal design.…”

A conceptual theoretical framework to integrally assess the possible impacts of climate change on domestic irrigation water use

“…Similar challenges in parameter estimation are addressed through calibration in other water-related applications. Numerous case studies that utilise parametric calibration have been published in water distribution network modelling (Madsen, 2000;Van Vuuren, 2002;Van Dijk et al, 2008), rainfall-runoff modelling (Ndiritu and Daniell, 1999) of watersheds, etc. The calibration process involves the systematic adjustment of parameter values to achieve good agreement between model outputs and the observed values.…”

Optimization of the Design of Water Distribution Systems for Variable Pumping Flow Rates

“…In terms of the calculation process, evolutionary programming techniques like genetic algorithms have been widely used for water distribution optimization, for example by Marchi et al [16], Kadu et al [17], or Van Dijk et al [18]. Nevertheless, most efforts in modern models deal with the computational processes.…”