Dynamic DMA Design Methodology Based on Multilevel DMA and Multiobjective Optimization

Abstract

As urbanization has accelerated, the coverage area of water distribution networks (WDNs) has been significantly increasing, making the management of large WDNs more difficult. To manage WDNs more accurately, water utilities split them into district metered areas (DMAs) of different sizes. However, the design of static DMAs has limitations in hydraulic performance during abnormal conditions in a WDN. To address this issue, first, this paper proposes a method for optimal DMA layout based on the combination of the self-organizing map (SOM) algorithm and the Leiden algorithm, achieving the optimal multilevel DMA layout and obtaining boundary pipes between DMAs. Then, the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm III (NSGAIII) method is employed to select the optimal arrangement of valves and flowmeters on boundary pipes from multiple perspectives, controlling the opening and closing of valves to achieve dynamic DMA partition. In the case of L-TOWN, the results show that the employed method reduces the average pressure variance by 15.6% compared with Louvain algorithms in the optimal multilevel DMA, which also effectively reduces bad connections between DMAs. Additionally, the obtained dynamic DMA layout exhibits excellent hydraulic performance. Under the two abnormal conditions, including fire events and increased water demand, the resilience index increased by 42% and 16%, respectively.