An Optimization Model for the optimal Usage of Water Tanks in Water Supply Systems

In Germany, the optimization of water supply systems has gained more and more attention due to a growing cost pressure for German municipal utilities. In this work, a model is presented which optimizes the usage of water tanks. On the one hand locations of new tanks are identified, and on the other hand the size of existing tanks is optimized, subject to satisfying the demand of clients and providing the necessary amount of fire water during all time periods. The main difficulty is the consideration of the head loss equation which is required to model the hydraulic properties of a water supply system. As this equation is non-convex and quadratic the optimization model becomes a non-convex Mixed Integer Quadratically Constrained Program (MIQCP). To solve this MIQCP different solution methods are applied.