A New Approach to the Optimization of Looped Water Distribution Networks with Velocity Constraints

The optimal design of a looped water distribution system is a problem that is addressed frequently in the literature. Usually, the flow velocity in the pipes is not taken into account. Nevertheless, in real-life applications, there are velocity restrictions that must be considered for the proper function of water distribution systems. An algorithm has been presented recently for the optimal design of such systems, relying entirely on the hydraulic characteristics of the system, and not involving any parameters to be adjusted. This paper presents a new suitably designed algorithm that retained the features of the original algorithm and handled the problem of velocity restrictions without recourse to penalty functions. The new algorithm was tested and compared with others that used penalty functions to handle the velocity constraints. The results demonstrated its efficiency, reliability, and better performance.