Shortening the search time in optimization of water distribution networks

Various optimization techniques have been implemented for minimizing the costs associated with water distribution networks (WDNs). In this regard, meta-heuristic algorithms have represented the highest efficiency. One of the weaknesses of these algorithms is their high computational costs, which make their implementation sometimes impracticable for optimization of large real life WDNs. In this article an optimization model based on the ant colony optimization algorithm is presented for least cost design of WDNs. In the proposed model, ants select pipe diameters so that the energy loss per unit length of pipes will be in a specific range. In this model, the number of objective function evaluations is small. Two sample networks have been optimized using the proposed model. Obtained results show that the model presented in this article has a very low search time, which makes its implementation possible for large real-life WDNs.