Economic comparison between an optimized and a traditional sewer system design

Abstract

Sewage systems are essential for the efficient functioning of cities. Wastewater contains solids and organic matter that pose health risks, making it necessary to optimize the sewage system design. In recent years, optimization tools have been introduced to minimize costs while still complying with regulations. Despite this, traditional designs still dominate, but the use of optimization methodologies can significantly reduce construction costs. For this reason, this research will compare the construction costs of a sewage system designed optimally and one designed using traditional methods, to determine the cost difference between the two. In a sector of Bogota, Colombia, a sewerage system was already built and designed according to Colombian laws using traditional methodologies. The information from this area was used to implement the UTOPIA program, created by the Universidad de los Andes. This program uses the Shortest Path Problem with the Bellman-Ford algorithm to design the network and minimize costs. The results show that the optimized system was about 15% cheaper than the traditional one, and it ensured that all pipelines met the design restrictions. Optimized sewage systems are a useful alternative for ensuring universal access to safe drinking water, increasing sewerage coverage, and reducing problems associated with inadequate design. HIGHLIGHTS The paper makes a comparison between a traditional design methodology and an optimization one, for large sewers.; It proves that an optimized design not only obtains lower costs but for all pipes complies with the hydraulic restrictions.; The methodology introduced will help sewer coverage in developing countries.; It will help in reaching the SDG No. 6.; It is an interesting application of operational research.;

Keywords

• cost equation
• hydraulic design
• optimized sewer system
• sewage systems
• traditional design