Hydrograph-based storm sewer design optimization by genetic algorithm

Abstract

A model is developed for the optimal design of storm water networks. The model uses a genetic algorithm (GA) as the search engine and the TRANSPORT module of the US Environmental Protection Agency storm water management model version 4.4H (SWMM4.4H) as the hydraulic simulator. Two different schemes are used to formulate the problem with varying degrees of success in reaching a near-optimal solution. In the first scheme, the nodal elevations and pipe diameters are selected as the decision variables of the problem which were determined by the GA to produce the trial solutions. In the second scheme, only nodal elevations are optimized by the GA, and determination of pipe diameters is left to the TRANSPORT SWMM module. Simulation of the trial solutions in both methods is carried out by the TRANSPORT module of SWMM4.4H. The proposed model is applied to some benchmark examples, and the results are presented and compared with the existing results in the literature.Key words: genetic algorithm, optimal design, sewer network, SWMM.