Abstract
ABSTRACT Integrated management of water supply systems with efficient use of natural resources requires optimization of operational performances. Dividing the water supply networks into small units, so-called district metered areas (DMAs), is a strategy that allows the development of specific operational rules, responsible for improving the network performance. In this context, clustering methods congregate neighboring nodes in groups according to similar features, such as elevation or distance to the water source. Taking into account hydraulic, operational and mathematical criteria to determine the configuration of DMAs, this work presents the k-means model and a hybrid model, that combines a self-organizing map (SOM) with the k-means algorithm, as clustering methods, comparing four mathematical criteria to determine the number of DMAs, namely Silhouette, GAP, Calinski-Harabasz and Davies Bouldin. The influence of three clustering topological criteria is evaluated: the water demand, node elevation and pipe length, in order to determine the optimal number of clusters. Furthermore, to identify the best DMA configuration, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) method was applied to determine the number, cost, pressure setting of Pressure Reducing Valves and location of DMA entrances.
Highlights
Water supply systems play a key role in urban design, to ensure that citizens can have access to essential goods, and for public safety reasons (DI NARDO, DI NATALE, 2011; GRAYMAN et al, 2009)
There is a slight difference between the demand limit of 140 l/s when compared to the other values for hybrid clustering
This work presented the comparison between a hybrid model (SOM + k-means) and a k-means method model for the creation of district metered areas (DMAs) with the purpose of optimizing the water supply system, considering the similarity of the topological conditions of the nodes of the network, mathematical criteria and topological criteria to find the optimum number of DMAs
Summary
Water supply systems play a key role in urban design, to ensure that citizens can have access to essential goods, and for public safety reasons (DI NARDO, DI NATALE, 2011; GRAYMAN et al, 2009). The division of the water distribution network (WDN) into districts allows a better management and increase of hydraulic and energy efficiency, since the operations are directed to the needs of each district, besides the greater control from measurements and monitoring. Such division can be a complex task due to the size of the network and its peculiarities, such as the number of loops, the variation of the geometric dimensions and the modification in the hydraulic conditions, which can make such a division inconsistent if they are not considered (DIAO et al, 2012). The location of supply points in the district and the operating pressure are fundamental in the clustering process
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