Quality-Aware Hydraulic Control in Drinking Water Networks via Controllability Proxies

Abstract

The operation of water distribution networks simply aims at efficiently delivering consumers adequate water while maintaining safe water quality (WQ). However, this process entails a multi-scale interplay between hydraulic and WQ dynamics evolving spatio-temporally within such a complex infrastructure network. While prior research has addressed the hydraulic optimization problem and WQ regulation as decoupled or coupled, they often overlook control-theoretic guided solutions. This paper takes a novel approach by investigating the coupling between hydraulic and WQ dynamics from a control networks perspective. We propose a quality-aware control framework that embeds WQ controllability metrics into the network-level pump scheduling problem, acknowledging the direct influence of system hydraulics on WQ controller behavior. We examine the trade-offs between pump control energy cost and WQ performance across various network sizes and scenarios. Our results showcase how network topology, hydraulic constraints, and WQ metrics jointly impact optimal pump schedules and, accordingly, the achievable level of WQ regulation, offering insights into designing efficient control strategies for water infrastructure networks governed by interdependent dynamics.