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Optimal scheduling of water network repair crews considering multiple objectives

    Hesham Osman Affiliation
    ; Marwan Ammar Affiliation
    ; Moheeb El-Said Affiliation

Abstract

Water main breaks disrupt water services and impact traffic flow along congested city roads. Dispatching water pipe repair crews needs to consider several factors that include: 1) the priority of repair site; 2) the suitability and efficiency of the construction crew in repairing a particular break type; and 3) the time required for crews to travel be­tween break sites. This paper presents a simulation-based multi-objective optimization model to schedule repair crews across water network break sites in an urban setting. Discrete-event simulation models for the water pipe repair process are developed to account for various repair methods. These models are subsequently integrated within a GA-based multi-objective optimization model that considers the following objectives: 1) minimizing the total repair time required to complete all breaks; 2) minimizing the total cost to complete the breaks; and 3) minimizing the cumulative impact of all breaks incident on road users and water customers. A case study for the water network on the City of Damietta, Egypt is used to demonstrate the capabilities of the model. Results show a 21% reduction in repair time and 50% reduction in user impact compared to heuristic crew allocation methods used by the water utility.

Keyword : water networks, optimization, simulation, resource allocation

How to Cite
Osman, H., Ammar, M., & El-Said, M. (2017). Optimal scheduling of water network repair crews considering multiple objectives. Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 23(1), 28-36. https://doi.org/10.3846/13923730.2014.948911
Published in Issue
Jan 19, 2017
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.