ALBERT

Description: The operation of pumps imposes significant costs on a water distribution system for energy supply and pumps maintenance. To derive an optimum pumps scheduling program, this study presents a multiobjective optimization problem with the objective functions of 1- energy cost and 2- the number of pump switches. The optimization of both objective functions together leads to a multiobjective constrained optimization problem. To solve the problem, the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm, version II, (NSGA-II) is coupled to the EPANET hydraulic simulation model. For constraint handling, some modifications are introduced to the standard NSGA-II to make it self-adaptive through which all constraints of the problem are automatically satisfied. Application of the model to a test example and a real pipe network verifies that the proposed scheme is computationally efficient and reliable. Also, optimization of the real pipe network reveals that by a careful pump scheduling program the total number of pump switches even in optimum operations could be decreased by 69% while the energy cost increases at most by 10%.

Description: A nested optimization approach is proposed to solve capacity expansion problems of multiquality water supply systems. The problem to be solved consists of determining the infrastructure that should be built and/or rehabilitated at a specific time. This decision should be taken in a long-term planning perspective. It should consider how the operation will be performed to satisfy demand and water quality requirements by using multiple sources with different water quality at the source, take into account the temporal and spatial distribution of the water resources available and remain aware of the environmental impacts. In addition, decision processes which do not appropriately consider inherent uncertainties (e.g., hydrological, demographic, and technological uncertainties) can lead to suboptimal solutions. Here, uncertainty is handled using scenario planning with the aim of finding expansion solutions that can be expected to perform well under a set of possible future situations (or scenarios). The solution method combines simulated annealing with nonlinear programming to determine the solution to the nested optimization problem.

Description: Conflict-resolution models can be used as practical approaches to consider the contradictions and trade-offs between the involved stakeholders in integrated water resource management. These models are utilized to reach an optimal solution considering agents interactions. In this paper, a new methodology is developed based on multi-objective optimization model (NSGA-II), groundwater simulation model, M5P model tree, fallback bargaining procedures and social choice rules to determine the optimal groundwater management policies with an emphasis on resolving conflicts between stakeholders. By incorporating the multi-objective simulation-optimization model and bargaining methods, the optimal groundwater allocation policies are determined and the preferences of the stakeholders as well as social criteria such as justice are also considered. The obtained data set, based on Monte Carlo analysis of calibrated MODFLOW model, is used for training and validating the M5P meta-models. The validated M5P meta-models are linked with NSGA-II to determine the trade-off curve (Pareto front) for the objectives. Social choice rule and fallback bargaining methods, as conflict-resolution models, are applied to determine the best socio-optimal solution among stakeholders, and their results are compared. The effectiveness of the proposed methodology is verified in a case study of Darian aquifer, Fars province, Iran. Results indicated that the solutions obtained by the proposed conflict-resolution approaches have an appropriate applicability. Total groundwater withdrawal, after applying the optimal groundwater allocations, reduced to 20.85 MCM, resulting in a 4.62 m increase in the mean groundwater level throughout the aquifer.

Description: An integrated approach of system dynamics (SD), orthogonal experimental design (OED) and inexact optimization modeling was proposed for water resources management under uncertainty. The developed method adopted a combination of SD and OED to identify key scenarios within multiple factors, through which interval solutions for water demands could be obtained as input data for consequential optimization modeling. Also, optimal schemes could be obtained in the combination of inexact two-stage stochastic programming and credibility constrained programming. The developed method was applied to a real-world case study for supporting allocation of multiple-source water resources to multiple users in Dalian city within a multi-year context. The results indicated that a lower credibility-satisfaction level would generate higher allocation efficiency, a higher system benefit and a lower system violation risk. The developed model could successfully reflect and address the variety of uncertainties through provision of credibility levels, which corresponds to the decision makers’ preference regarding the tradeoffs between system benefits and violation risks.

Description: In one of the widely used methods to estimate surface runoff - Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN), the antecedent moisture condition (AMC) is categorized into three AMC levels causing irrational abrupt jumps in estimated runoff. A few improved SCS-CN methods have been developed to overcome several in-built inconsistencies in the soil moisture accounting (SMA) procedure that lies behind the SCS-CN method. However, these methods still inherit the structural inconsistency in the SMA procedure. In this study, a modified SCS-CN method was proposed based on the revised SMA procedure incorporating storm duration and a physical formulation for estimating antecedent soil moisture ( V 0 ). The proposed formulation for V 0 estimation has shown a high degree of applicability in simulating the temporal pattern of soil moisture in the experimental plot. The modified method was calibrated and validated using a dataset of 189 storm-runoff events from two experimental watersheds in the Chinese Loess Plateau. The results indicated that the proposed method, which boosted the model efficiencies to 88% in both calibration and validation cases, performed better than the original SCS-CN and the Singh et al. ( 2015 ) method, a modified SCS-CN method based on SMA. The proposed method was then applied to a third watershed using the tabulated CN value and the parameters of the minimum infiltration rate ( f c ) and coefficient ( β ) derived for the first two watersheds. The root mean square error between the measured and predicted runoff values was improved from 6 mm to 1 mm. Moreover, the parameter sensitivity analysis indicated that the potential maximum retention ( S ) parameter is the most sensitive, followed by f c . It can be concluded that the modified SCS-CN method, may predict surface runoff more accurately in the Chinese Loess Plateau.

Description: The sustainability index ( SI ) is a relatively new concept for measuring the performance of water resource systems over long time periods. Its definition is aimed at providing an indication of the integral behaviour of the system with regards to possible undesired consequences if misbalance of available and required waters occurs. SI is initially defined as a product and later reformulated as a geometric mean of performance indicators: reliability, resilience and vulnerability. As an extension of a recently published methodology to compute and use SI , in this paper we propose introducing two more indicators of system performance: (1) reliability of annual firm (safe) water as a system yield and (2) deviation of reservoir levels from corresponding rule curves. The last indicator is of particular importance if there are multi-purpose reservoirs in the system because reservoirs are the most important and sensitive regulators of the water regime within the system. We also propose a framework for assessing system performance in a systematic manner to compute SI at various locations within the system if different operating strategies are applied and, finally, how to evaluate strategies according to the resulting SI by using multi-criteria methods. A case study example from Serbia is used to illustrate the results of measuring sustainability under alternative operating scenarios for a system with three reservoirs and two diversion structures.

Description: Water distribution systems with complex configurations are important urban facilities and the hydraulic analysis is essential for system design, optimization and management. Hydraulic analysis involves the procedure of calculating the hydraulic parameters of nodal pressure heads and pipe flow rates under steady-state condition. The equations governing the heads and flows are nonlinear and the most popular method for solving the equations is the Newton-Raphson method, which is the basis of existing hydraulic simulator (EPANET 2). In this paper, fixed point iteration method is proposed for hydraulic analysis after transformation of the original nonlinear equations. Compared to EPANET 2, the proposed method can analyze a water distribution system without differentiation for the convergence for some problems which cannot be solved by EPANET 2. Three test networks were analyzed by the proposed method and EPANET 2. It is proved that the proposed method could get the convergence after a series of iterations, even in cases that EPANET 2 fail. And the initial values of nodal pressure heads and the specified calculation accuracy are considered to have influences on the calculation procedure.

Description: Reservoirs often play an important role in mitigating water supply problems. However, the implications of climate change are not always considered in reservoir planning and management. This study aimed to address this challenge in the Alto Sabor watershed, northeast Portugal. The study analysed whether or not the shortage of water supply can be effectively addressed through the construction of a new reservoir (two-reservoir system) by considering future climate projections. The hydrological model Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was calibrated and validated against daily-observed discharge and reservoir volume, with a good agreement between model predictions and observations. Outputs from four General Circulation Models (GCM) for two scenarios (RCP 4.5 and 8.5) were statistically downscaled and bias-corrected with ground observations. A general increase in temperature is expected in the future while the change in precipitation is more uncertain as per the differences among climatic models. In general, annual precipitation would slightly decrease while seasonal changes would be more significant, with more precipitation in winter and much less in spring and summer. SWAT simulations suggest that the existence of two-reservoir will better solve the water supply problems under current climate conditions compared to a single-reservoir system. However in the future, the reliability of this solution will decrease, especially due to the variability of projections from the different climatic models. The solution to water supply problems in this region, adopted taking only present-day climate into account, will likely be inefficient for water supply management under future climate conditions.

Description: Water quality monitoring networks are usually designed according to statistical approaches and general criteria without a consistent or logical deterministic design strategy. In this research, a deterministic approach for allocating the most sensitive water quality monitoring stations was proposed. This approach was applied on the western part of the Al-Hammar Marsh. Two-dimensional hydrodynamic and water quality simulation models were used to estimate the distribution of total dissolved solids (TDS) within the marsh for all of the expected conditions. Subsequently, the spatial distribution of the variance of TDS was computed based on the results of these models and performed in a Geographic Information System (GIS) database layer. The standard acceptable TDS variation limits of ±5%, land-use map, land-cover map and other main selection criteria of the monitoring stations were set as constraints via GIS database layers. These layers were integrally applied to the variance layer to obtain the locations of the most sensitive monitoring stations. It was concluded that, the most representative monitoring network consists of 46 stations. This number can be reduced to 37 and 29 stations by increasing the acceptable TDS variation limits to ±10% and 15%, respectively. The developed approach can be used with limited data. Moreover, it can be applied to rivers, lakes or wetlands, considering all of the related constraints. In addition, the GIS database can be easily updated and analysed. These features are not available in other methods such as the Sanders method, multiple criteria decision making and dynamic programming approach.

Description: Leak detection and localization in water pipeline networks is of paramount importance to industry, especially in regions where water is scarce. In this paper, we present a novel multi-modal and multi-scale approach for leak detection and localization in water pipeline networks, in which pressure measurements at various points on the network are used to localize the pipe segment in which the leak is occurring, and then the vibration sensors are used to localize the leak within this segment. In some situations where the complete pipeline model is not available, pressure data alone may not be effective in localizing the leak. However, in such a situation, by supplementing pressure data with vibration data, the leak can be localized, as these additional data are easier to acquire at arbitrary points, since vibration sensors are non-invasive. In order to validate the effectiveness of the approach that needs both pressure and vibration data, we simulate the pipeline model using EPANET that includes models for flow and pressure at various points on the pipeline, then integrate the vibration model with it in MATLAB, since EPNAET does not include models for vibration measurements. A case study of a pipeline network is considered, and the proposed scheme is used to detect and localize the leak. Extensive simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in providing accurate leak detection and localization.