Energy Recovery and Leakage-Reduction Optimization of Water Distribution Systems Using Hydro Turbines

Potential for energy recovery exists at any point within a water distribution system where the mechanical energy of excess water pressure can be converted into electrical energy. Energy conversion decreases the average operating pressure within a system, which in turn reduces water losses from leakages in the system due to the proportionality of leakage and pressure. This paper explores the incorporation of a genetic algorithm (GA) in a procedure to optimize the location and size of energy-recovery turbines (ERT) within a water distribution system based on maximizing recovered energy and reduced water losses evaluated on an economic basis and assigned a differentiated weighted importance. The developed procedure was tested on a well-known pressure management benchmark network as well as a water network from previous studies. Where previous studies on the benchmark network were only focused on pressure management, the current procedure produced results on pressure management with the added benefit of an analysis on both energy recovery and leakage reduction. The procedure provides municipal and water utility managers with a better-informed basis for pressure management and energy-recovery decision making.