AWWA JAW34190

Optimization of high-service pump operation with respect to peak kilowatt consumption or total kilowatt-hour consumption, depending on conditions, is the goal of KBEMS (knowledge-based energy management system), the system described in this article. The system has high potential to save municipal water utilities significant amounts of money in electricity expenditures. The knowledge-based system is designed to foster the incorporation of operators' knowledge and nonhistoric information into planning the operation of a water distribution facility. Flexibility is a prime consideration in the system's design because of the multitude of factors that can influence operating procedure. Constraints imposed by operators and by general pumping strategies of water plant managers act as "filters" placed in front of algorithmic procedures such as pump scheduling and demand forecasting. In this situation, pure optimality is admittedly sacrificed, but necessarily so, in favor of arriving at a good and efficient operating plan. Includes 16 references, table, figures.