Multi-objective optimisation of cost–benefit of urban flood management using a 1D2D coupled model

This paper presents a multi-objective optimisation (MOO) tool for urban drainage management that is based on a 1D2D coupled model of SWMM5 (1D sub-surface flow model) and BreZo (2D surface flow model). This coupled model is linked with NSGA-II, which is an Evolutionary Algorithm-based optimiser. Previously the combination of a surface/sub-surface flow model and evolutionary optimisation has been considered to be infeasible due to the computational demands. The 1D2D coupled model used here shows a computational efficiency that is acceptable for optimisation. This technological advance is the result of the application of a triangular irregular discretisation process and an explicit finite volume solver in the 2D surface flow model. Besides that, OpenMP based parallelisation was employed at optimiser level to further improve the computational speed of the MOO tool. The MOO tool has been applied to an existing sewer network in West Garforth, UK. This application demonstrates the advantages of using multi-objective optimisation by providing an easy-to-comprehend Pareto-optimal front (relating investment cost to expected flood damage) that could be used for decision making processes, without repeatedly going through the modelling–optimisation stage.