Optimal control of water distribution systems by network flow theory

This paper presents an optimal control system of water distribution networks. To overcome the large scale and nonlinearity of the network, a network aggregation technique and a two-level control scheme are developed. The first level of the scheme decides operating points using a nonlinear optimization method, where a high speed solving technique of pressure/flow is derived from network flow theory. The second level is a feedback control around the operating points, which absorbs estimate error and small variation in consumption. The scheme has been realized by a minicomputer system and is presently in operation.