Control structure for the optimal sewer network discharge

It is necessary to adopt an optimal control that allows an efficient usage of the existing sewer networks. The main objective of the control action is to minimize the overflow volume of a sewer network. An optimization problem concerning this objective was formally stated in a previous article of the authors and it is referred as Sewer Network Discharge Optimization Problem (SNDOP). This paper proposes a control structure for a sewer network discharge that joins two ideas. The first one is to use a control structure that is an adaptation of the concept of predictive control, taking into account the characteristics generally accepted of this concept. This control structure integrates an optimal controller that minimizes the prediction error. The second idea is to use an optimization algorithm generated by a metaheuristic called Binary Hybrid Topology Particle Swarm Optimization (BHTSPO). Moreover, this optimization algorithm was developed specially for solving SNDOP. The first contribution of this paper is to accommodate the predictive control structure with the usage of BHTPSO algorithm within the optimal controller. Under a certain interpretation, the BHTPSO algorithm minimizes the prediction error. The second contribution of the paper is the organization and the implementation of the proposed control structure using a simulation program that has proved its realistic and effective features.