Multiphase Procedure for Identifying District Metered Areas in Water Distribution Networks Using Community Detection, NSGA-III Optimization, and Multiple Attribute Decision Making
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 148, Issue 8
Abstract
The formation of district metered areas (DMAs) is an efficient strategy for the operation and management of water distribution networks (WDNs). Identifying the most suitable DMA layout is a challenging task for water utilities as it may involve several aspects that need to be addressed simultaneously. This study presents a novel multiphase approach for optimal DMA design that involves: (1) a combination of a fast Newman algorithm (FNA) to identify initial clusters; (2) a nondominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-III) to obtain a set of good DMA configurations while considering several objectives simultaneously; and (3) a multiple attribute decision-making method (MADM) to find the best suited DMA configuration from a set of feasible alternative solutions based on the preference given to each objective. The proposed methodology is applied to two networks including a large benchmark network and a real-life water network. Four problem objectives out of several possible objectives were considered. These are: (1) the total cost of implementation (economic criterion); (2) the pressure deviation (hydraulic criterion); (3) a resilience index (energy criterion); and (4) the total demand shortfall (customer satisfaction criterion). Finally, a multiple attribute decision-making tool [i.e., a simple additive weighing (SAW) method] was used to arrive at a unique solution out of a set of feasible solutions. Results show that the proposed methodology can effectively identify DMAs while considering multiple objectives.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, including Exnet Network and Apulian Network models in INP EPANET format and generated C code.
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 148 • Issue 8 • August 2022
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 2, 2021
Accepted: Apr 14, 2022
Published online: May 30, 2022
Published in print: Aug 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Oct 30, 2022
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