Conjunctive Optimal Operation of Power and Water Networks

Power and water networks are massive critical infrastructure systems that are strongly coupled through the power transmitted from the power network to the water network, yet they are commonly operated independently. The resemblance between the two systems is high: a power network comprises a system of power stations, power transmission, and power distribution to individual customers, while a water network likely consists of water sources, regional pipelines, and a distribution system for supplying its end users. The physics of both systems are governed by Kirchhoff's laws of continuity of flow/current at nodes and energy pressure/voltage along paths. Smart joint operation of water and power networks has the potential of saving water, saving energy, and reducing environmental impact. Several studies have dealt with the problem. However, modeling can still be significantly improved, and many different research directions can be explored. The complexity of managing both systems independently differs according to the adopted assumptions and can be as easy as solving a linear programming (LP) problem or can end up as a challenging large-scale mixed integer nonlinear problem (MINLP). The objective of this study is to formulate and solve a conjunctive water-power flow (OWPF) problem for optimizing both systems simultaneously. The formulation and solution scheme will be demonstrated on a small yet general layout of a coupled power-water network.