Optimization methods in water system operation

• Published in: Wiley interdisciplinary reviews. Water Vol. 11; no. 6; pp. e1756 - n/a
• Main Authors: Becker, Bernhard Peter Josef, Jagtenberg, Caroline Jeanne, Horváth, Klaudia, Mitchell, Ailbhe, Rodríguez‐Sarasty, Jesús Andrés
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01-11-2024; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: Decision making; decision support; Drainage channels; Environmental changes; Environmental management; Hydroelectric power; hydropower; Mathematical analysis; Open channels; Optimization; Polders; Predictive control; Reservoir management; scheduling; stochastic optimization; Water conservation; Water management
• ISSN: 2049-1948; 2049-1948
• DOI: 10.1002/wat2.1756

Operational water management is a critical global challenge, and decision making can be improved by using mathematical optimization. This paper provides an overview of optimization techniques, both exact and heuristic, used in water management. It focuses on the use of optimization techniques in the short term: operational planning in reservoir management, control of open channels, hydropower scheduling, and operation of polder drainage pumps. Principles of model predictive control, methods for optimization under forecast uncertainty, and approaches for conflict resolution are explained with the help of educational examples and practical cases. Challenges and research questions to be addressed in the future are presented as an outlook.
This article is categorized under:
Engineering Water > Methods
Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change
Water and Life > Conservation, Management, and Awareness
Historic wind‐driven pumping station in the Netherlands—optimization methods help to manage water systems efficiently.