Abstract
This paper presents a practical approach to address the challenges of managing water supply infrastructure in the context of sustainability amidst growing demands for fresh water, infrastructure deterioration, and global water shortages. Specifically, it prescribes an approach for effectively partitioning water distribution networks (WDNs) into district metered areas (DMAs) leveraging graph theoretic algorithms and the NSGA-II multi-objective optimization strategy. The dynamic layouts of DMAs are optimized based on the number of flow meters and gate valves, while reducing computational effort. This approach also minimizes variable installation costs and enhances water loss monitoring and management. Notably, it allows flexible modifications to the number of flow meters and gate valves, avoiding the need for a complete DMA layout overhaul in response to changes in hydraulic criteria of the network. The effectiveness of this approach is demonstrated through successful implementation on six complex benchmark WDNs, each comprising hundreds of pipes and nodes, offering a cost-effective means for water utilities to establish sustainable DMAs for efficient management.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Mohammad Reza Shekofteh, Ehsan Yousefi-Khoshqalb, and Kalyan Piratla. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Mohammad Reza Shekofteh and Ehsan Yousefi-Khoshqalb under the supervision of Dr. Piratla, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Shekofteh, M.R., Yousefi-Khoshqalb, E. & Piratla, K.R. An Efficient Approach for Partitioning Water Distribution Networks Using Multi-Objective Optimization and Graph Theory. Water Resour Manage 37, 5007–5022 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-023-03592-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-023-03592-z