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Design Capabilities

InfoWater Designer provides very sophisticated pipe network optimization capabilities for reliable, cost-effective, and efficient design and rehabilitation of water distribution piping systems. It treats the design and rehabilitation conditions as an implicit nonlinear mathematical optimization problem. All aspects of the water distribution system can be considered within the optimization, including pipes, pumps, and storage tanks. The optimization problem consists of determining the best combination of pipe system improvements — rehabilitation (cleaning and lining), replacement, strengthening, and expansion options as well as the construction of new pumping and storage facilities — to meet desired hydraulic and water quality performance criteria at minimal cost.

The user has considerable flexibility in specifying improvement unit costs (i.e. cost per length, pump cost, and/or cost per volume of storage) for each type of candidate improvement (construction of a new, parallel, or replacement pipe, rehabilitation of a pipe through cleaning, lining, or other method; additional storage; and increased pumping capacity) alternatives. Any number of unit costs may be designated for the same existing pipe characteristics and/or new identical pipe sizes so that accurate estimated costs based on urban versus rural areas, high traffic versus low traffic areas, and other pipe installation conditions can be accurately represented. This gives you complete control over system improvement costs and streamlines the development of your Capital Improvement Program. The user can also specify the portion of the system to be optimized. Any desired section of the network model can be selected for optimization including the entire system, any particular sub-division, pressure zone, or any area selected through a database query. A database query may be applicable if the user is evaluating different rehabilitation options for aged pipelines (typically with low roughness values).

Pipes, pumps and storage tanks selected for an optimization run can be lumped into distinct “groups” based on the cost and specific characteristics. Separate facility groups are then identified with the appropriate cost code and allowable improvement actions. Finally, target performance constraints are specified such as minimum allowable junction node pressures, maximum allowable pipe velocities, and maximum permissible pipe hydraulic gradients.

Following the completion of an InfoWater Designer run, the user is presented with the best identified solution for the input parameters specified. InfoWater Designer output results include all recommended additional or increased storage, additional pumping as well as new, parallel, and replacement pipes and all recommendations for existing pipe improvements through cleaning, lining, or other identified methods for increasing the hydraulic carrying capacity of existing pipes.

Use Advanced Genetic Algorithms to Optimize Your Capital Improvement Program
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Optimization Methodology

InfoWater Designer provides a fully automated approach to reliable and efficient pipe network optimization. It utilizes a highly advanced variation of the Genetic Algorithm optimization technology closely coupled with the InfoWater for maximum efficiency and accuracy. Because InfoWater Designer is able to retain the reality of existing water distribution systems, it readily provides you with an effective and practical tool to optimize design and rehabilitation of these piping systems and improve their reliability and integrity at reduced costs.

Genetic Algorithms - InfoWater Designer uses the latest advances in computational Genetic Algorithms with superior elitist and global control strategies to rapidly search in sub-quadratic times for superior low-cost design/rehabilitation options that meet all required performance criteria. It is structured in an object-oriented framework allowing large network models to be solved in expeditious times. Both English and Metric units along with the Hazen-Williams, Darcy-Weisbach (Colebrook-White), or Manning friction loss equations are fully supported.

Multi-Objective Design - Network models can be directly optimized considering any modeling condition time frame (e.g. maximum day), multiple simultaneous design scenarios (e.g., find the single optimum solution that provides the standard of service under peak day for normal operation + average day under a failure scenario), multiple fire flow scenarios, and complete EXTENDED PERIOD SIMULATION (dynamic) designs (e.g. 24-hour operational design).

Users Manual
A very comprehensive users manual and a detailed step-by-step tutorial guide you through all the powerful and rich features and capabilities of the InfoWater Designer. An extremely user friendly and intuitive context sensitive on-line help facility is also available to you at all times through a menu selection or by simply pressing the F1 key.

Application Dependent - InfoWater Suite.