Piratla, K R and Ariaratnam, S T (2013) Design innovation leads to sustainable water distribution systems. Construction Innovation, 13(3), pp. 302-319. ISSN 1471-4175
Abstract
Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate design alternatives for pump-included water distribution networks considering sustainability and reliability aspects. The aim is to demonstrate that CO<DN>2</DN> emissions could be reduced at a reasonable cost. The paper also investigates the trade-offs between cost and reliability of water distribution networks. Design/methodology/approach - An existing genetic algorithm optimization tool is customized in this research to perform multi-objective optimization with various objectives and constraints. The developed model is demonstrated using a benchmark water distribution network. Findings - The results from this research suggest that CO<DN>2</DN> emissions from water distribution networks could be reduced at a reasonable cost by choosing better objectives during the design stage. High system reliability could also be ensured for the lifetime by paying reasonable additional cost. This research presents various design alternatives for an engineer to choose from. Research limitations/implications - The design of water distribution networks is a computationally complex process and often requires significant CPU time to arrive at an optimal solution. This problem is significant in the case of larger networks, especially when all the failed states need to be simulated. Simpler measures of reliability could be adopted in the future. Originality/value - Although a significant amount of research had been undertaken in the area of optimal water distribution network design, only limited research includes environmental impacts as a design objective. This paper not only includes environmental aspects but also considers reliability. The model proposed in this research is a useful tool for engineers for considering various alternatives before choosing the best design.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | CO2 emissions; design; innovation; optimization; optimization techniques; pumping water distribution networks; sustainable water distribution systems; system reliability; water supply |
| Index terms: | multi-objective optimization, CO2 emissions, optimization technique, water distribution, engineer, reliability aspect, design stage, water distribution network, environmental impact, methodology, genetic algorithm, water supply |
| Subjects: | professional practice, reliability engineering, environmental impact, air quality, profession, infrastructure and transport systems, algorithms, research methods |
| Topics: | Sustainability, Roles and Professions, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Digital Applications, Design Practice |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here