Enrico Creaco

Battle of the Water Networks II

The Battle of the Water Networks II (BWN-II) is the latest of a series of competitions related to the design and operation of water distribution systems (WDSs) undertaken within the Water Distribution Systems Analysis (WDSA) Symposium series. The BWN-II problem specification involved a broadly defined design and operation problem for an existing network that has to be upgraded for increased future demands, and the addition of a new development area. The design decisions involved addition of new and parallel pipes, storage, operational controls for pumps and valves, and sizing of backup power supply. Design criteria involved hydraulic, water quality, reliability, and environmental performance measures. Fourteen teams participated in the Battle and presented their results at the 14th Water Distribution Systems Analysis conference in Adelaide, Australia, September 2012. This paper summarizes the approaches used by the participants and the results they obtained. Given the complexity of the BWN-II problem and the innovative methods required to deal with the multiobjective, high dimensional and computationally demanding nature of the problem, this paper represents a snap-shot of state of the art methods for the design and operation of water distribution systems. A general finding of this paper is that there is benefit in using a combination of heuristic engineering experience and sophisticated optimization algorithms when tackling complex real-world water distribution system design problems

Multiobjective Optimization of Pipe Replacements and Control Valve Installations for Leakage Attenuation in Water Distribution Networks

AbstractThis paper shows how pipe replacements and control valve installations can be optimized in water distribution networks to reduce leakage, under minimum nodal pressure constraints. To this end, a hybrid multiobjective algorithm, which has pipe diameters and valve positions and settings as decisional variables, was set up. The algorithm also enables identification of the isolation valves that have to be closed in order to improve effectiveness of the control valves installed. The algorithm is initially applied to the optimal valve location problem, where it explores the trade-off between the number of installed control valves and the daily leakage volume. In this context, the analysis of the results proves the new algorithm more effective than a multiobjective genetic algorithm widely adopted in the scientific literature. Furthermore, it shows that if some isolation valves identified ad hoc are closed in the network, the installation of control valves determines larger leakage volume reductions. In ...

Fast network multi-objective design algorithm combined with an a posteriori procedure for reliability evaluation under various operational scenarios

This paper presents a methodology for the optimal design of water supply networks. It features a multi-objective optimisation (aimed at minimising costs and maximising resilience) and a subsequent ‘retrospective’ evaluation of network reliability under various operational scenarios. The multi-objective optimisation is based on an algorithm specifically developed for the design of real networks which feature a very high number of nodes and pipes. The ‘retrospective’ evaluation of network reliability is assessed considering resilience contrasted with several other indexes adopted to describe the operational performance of the network under critical scenarios such as segment isolation or hydrant activation, and different water demand conditions. In the applications two case studies, made up of a simple benchmark network and a real network respectively, are considered for the multi-objective optimisation; the ‘retrospective’ evaluation of reliability is performed only on the real network. The latter example clearly highlights that the procedure proposed allows reliability and performance to be offset against cost, consenting informed choice of the optimal network configuration.

Comparing Low and High-Level Hybrid Algorithms on the Two-Objective Optimal Design of Water Distribution Systems

This paper presents the comparison of two hybrid methodologies for the two-objective (cost and resilience) design of water distribution systems. The first method is a low-level hybrid algorithm (LLHA), in which a main controller (the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II, NSGA-II) coordinates various subordinate algorithms. The second method is a high-level hybrid algorithm (HLHA), in which various sub-algorithms collaborate in parallel. Applications to four case studies of increasing complexity enable the performances of the hybrid algorithms to be compared with each other and with the performance of the NSGA-II. In the case study featuring low/intermediate complexity, the hybrid algorithms (especially the HLHA) successfully capture a more diversified Pareto front, although the NSGA-II shows the best convergence. When network complexity increases, instead, the hybrid algorithms (especially the LLHA) turn out to be superior in terms of both convergence and diversity. With respect to both the HLHA and the NSGA-II, the LLHA is capable of detecting the final front in a single run with a lower computation burden. In contrast, the HLHA and the NSGA-II, which are more affected by the initial random seed, require numerous runs with an attempt to reach the definitive Pareto front. On the other hand, a drawback of the LLHA lies in its reduced ability to deal with general problem formulations, i.e., those not relating to water distribution optimal design.

Segment identification in water distribution systems

This paper presents a new method for identifying the segments that are formed after the installation and closure of isolation valves in a water distribution network. This method is able to identify segments also when one-way devices are installed in the network. Thanks to its short computing times, the method enables the analysis of real networks which always comprise a large number of nodes and pipes.  The numerical examples presented in this paper refer to two real water distribution networks. The first network is a part of a provincial network where two one-way devices are present; the second is a complex urban network without one-way devices. The method was first used to analyse the existing situation in both networks, i.e. the set of segments that are formed as a consequence of the present valve system. The method was subsequently used for the problem of the hypothetic redesign of the isolation valve system in the second urban network, i.e. the search for the optimal positions of the isolation valves in the network; in the redesign phase it provided solutions which are more cost-effective than the configuration of isolation valves currently present, the level of water service reliability being the same.

Evaluating Water Demand Shortfalls in Segment Analysis

In this paper, two procedures for assessing water demand shortfalls following segment isolation are compared. The first (topological) procedure is based on a simple topological network analysis, and identifies the water demand shortfall as the water demand (under normal operational conditions) relative to the directly and/or indirectly isolated segment(s). The second (hydraulic) procedure is based on a pressure-driven hydraulic simulation of the network after segment isolation. Each of the two procedures was applied to two case studies, and the reliability (expressed in terms of maximum Dmax and weighted average

The combined use of resilience and loop diameter uniformity as a good indirect measure of network reliability

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Laboratory investigation on the effects of flushes on cohesive sediment beds

water demand shortfall) and economic burden (expressed in terms of number Nval or cost Cval of installed valves) of the resulting isolation valve system solution were compared. As a whole, the results show that network analysis and redesign are affected by the choice of the global variables (Dmax or