Resilience Computations for Optimal Operation of Water Distribution Systems

A methodology for computation of system resilience for the real-time operation of water distribution systems (WDS) under critical conditions of limited water and limited electrical energy is presented. Critical emergencies in WDS operations can result from extreme drought, electric grid failure, and other severe natural conditions. The basic objective of this study is to apply the concepts of system resilience within an optimization-simulation model for real-time optimal operation of water distribution systems under conditions of limited water and energy availability. The modeling approach interfaces a genetic algorithm optimization procedure with the WDS hydraulic simulator (EPANET) in the framework of an optimal control problem. The methodology is implemented within the framework of MATLAB. An example WDS is used to demonstrate the application of the resilience concepts to assess the performance.