Optimal Chlorination Station Scheduling in an Operating Water Distribution Network Using GANetXL

Chlorination is the process of adding chlorine to drinking water to disinfect it prior to transmission and distribution to the receiving community. In order to maintain the drinking water quality, the chlorine level must remain within certain minimum and maximum values. This paper aims at applying GANetXL optimization tool to a real-world water network to best determine where and how much disinfectant should be injected. GANetXL is a software module that relies on the use of a genetic algorithm (GA) interfaced with EPANET 2.0. The results clearly demonstrate the positive performance of GANetXL to optimize both the disinfectant dosage value as well as the dosing location (i.e., the proper nodes to which the chlorine should be injected).