Application of multiple pressure management strategies in urban water distribution networks using sequential optimization

Abstract

Controlling pressure in water distribution networks is an important management issue. Excess pressure in a network can lead to leakage, causing economic losses to water utilities. To address this problem, pressure management methods are used to reduce and balance pressure in the network. Popular methods include the pressure-reducing valve, variable-speed pump, and district metered area. Any of the above methods can be applied to a single network. However, considering all methods in a single optimization can lead to a very complex problem because each method behaves differently. To mitigate this problem, sequential optimization can be performed to simplify the optimization process. The objective of this study is to present the methodology of applying these methods sequentially and analyze the best sequence. The optimization was performed considering the benefit-cost ratio to gage the performance gain versus the investment cost. Then, the behavior of each method in the sequence was analyzed and compared using multi-criteria decision analysis, considering the economic, hydraulic, and environmental factors. The results show that the sequential optimization succeeded in iteratively reducing the leakage of the network and that there was an optimal path to a better optimization result.