Optimal solving of the pump scheduling problem by using a Harmony Search optimization algorithm

Pumps are installed in water distribution networks (WDNs) to ensure adequate service levels in the case of poor water pressure (e.g. because of low elevation of reservoirs or high head losses within the WDN). In such cases optimal pump scheduling is often required for the opportunity of significant energy saving. Optimizing the pump operation also allows a reduction in damage and maintenance times. Among the approaches available in the literature to solve the problem, meta-heuristic algorithms ensure reduced computational times, although they are not able to guarantee the optimal solution can be found. In this paper, a modified Harmony Search Multi-Objective optimization algorithm is developed to solve the pump scheduling problem in WDNs. The hydraulic solver EPANET 2.0 is coupled with the algorithm to assess the feasibility of the achieved solutions. Hydraulic constraints are introduced and penalties are set in case of violation of the set constraints to reduce the space of feasible solutions. Results show the high performances of the proposed approach for pumping optimization, guaranteeing optimal (or near optimal) solutions with short computational times.