Guided Evolutionary Approaches for Redesigning Water Distribution Networks

The paper describes water distribution network optimization procedures proposed for the Battle of Background Leakage Assessment for Water Networks (BBLAWN) competition. The tested optimization methodologies build upon research carried out in the earlier Battle of the Water Networks II (BWN-II), hosted in the Water Distribution System Analysis 2012 (WDSA 2012) conference. Two approaches were evaluated: a single-objective genetic algorithm and a multi-objective genetic algorithm, both taking advantage of a guided mutation scheme. Computations have been carried out in a Java version of EPANET aiming at increased computational efficiency, greater platform portability, and improved flexibility regarding optimization software.