Minimization of pumping costs in water distribution systems using explicit and implicit pump scheduling

The operation of a water distribution system is a complex task which involves scheduling of pumps, regulating water levels of storages, and providing satisfactory water quality to customers at required flow and pressure. Pump scheduling is one of the most important tasks of the operation of a water distribution system as it represents the major part of its operating costs. In this paper, a novel approach for modeling of pump scheduling to minimize energy consumption by pumps is introduced which uses pump's start/end run times. We separate two types of pumps, one is operated based on the water level in a storage and another one is operated based on downstream pressure. For the first type of pumps both the explicit and implicit pump scheduling can be used, whereas the second type pumps can be optimized only using implicit pump scheduling. The problem is formulated as an optimization problem and an algorithm is developed for its solution. The performance of the algorithm is evaluated using a literature test problem applying the hydraulic simulation model EPANet