An Optimal Regulation Method for Parallel Water-Intake Pump Group of Drinking Water Treatment Process

Electricity consumption of pump group accounts for a significant proportion of cost in water distribution system (WDS). This paper discusses the optimal regulation method for parallel water-intake pump group consisting of fixed-frequency pumps and variable-frequency pumps. For this purpose, the regulation strategy for the water level of clean water tank is designed, and then the intake water flow of parallel pump group is calculated. For overall optimazing operation of parallel water-intake pump group, the mimimization of electricity consumption is performed within the constraints of limited pressure fluctuations of WDS and required flow of water supply. Dynamic programming algorithm and particle swarm optimization algorithm are employed to solve the optimization problem with constraints. Experimental studies have been conducted and the results show that 4.20% electricity-saving can be achieved by using the proposed optimal regulation method.