Hydro energy optimization model of pumping operation in water distribution systems

ABSTRACT

In this work, a multi-objective model for operational optimization of water distribution systems has been developed in order to achieve hydro energy efficiency. Three objectives were considered: minimizing of leakage, minimizing of pumping energy costs, and maximizing system reliability. The optimization model was conceived by the implementation of a computational routine between a dyhraulic simulator (EPANET) and by genetic algorithms NSGAII and SPEA. The proposed model has been applied to the optimization of a hypothetical water distribution network to generate an optimal set of operational rules. Some solutions obtained by the two algorithms showed that a decrease in pumping energy costs did not necessarily imply in leakage reduction. This means that both objectives can be conflicting in water distribution systems with internal tanks.

Keywords:
water distribution systems; hydro energy efficiency; evolutionary algorithms