Operação ótima de setores dinâmicos visando máximo desempenho hidráulico e de qualidade da água em redes de distribuição de água

Abstract

The division of Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) in District Metered Areas (DMAs) allows a better management of pressures, a reduction of leakage and a reduction of the water age. The creation and design of DMAs is composed of two main stages: topological partitioning of the system and the allocation of control devices (valves and flow meters). However, improvements in the management of water supply networks are often only achievable through the optimal allocation and operation of these devices within the pipelines. In addition, studies reported in the literature indicate that the hydraulic resilience and water quality of WDNs with static DMAs may be reduced due to the increase in water travel paths within the pipelines. In view of this context, the present work proposes the creation and optimal operation of dynamic DMAs, aiming to develop a safer and higher-quality water supply for consumers. In this sense, this study proposes the implementation of different DMAs configurations throughout the day so that pressures can be better controlled during low-demand periods and water age can be reduced during peak consumption hours. To carry out this work, hybrid algorithms were developed by combining community detection algorithms, well established in the literature - Fast-Greedy, Louvain, and Leiden - with the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm. The hybrid algorithms were implemented using the Python and MATLAB programming languages. As case studies, the benchmark networks Modena and adapted KL were employed, and the creation of DMAs was carried out through single-objective optimizations. The minimized hydraulic parameters were pressure uniformity, weighted average water age above a predefined limit, and valve allocation costs, while the obtained results were evaluated on hydraulic performance, cost, and modularity (connectivity) criteria. Overall, the hybrid algorithms incorporating both the Louvain and Leiden algorithms in the partitioning stage resulted in an improvement in hydraulic performance after optimal creation of DMAs, leading to WDNs with lower pressures and reduced water age. However, the Leiden-PSO hybrid algorithm generated a greater number of scenarios with higher leakage reduction after the creation of optimal DMAs. Furthermore, when comparing static and dynamic DMAs results, significantly greater reductions in pressures, water age, leakages, and energy consumption were observed for dynamic DMAs, highlighting the importance of this DMAs approach in improving the quality of water supply to consumers.