An MPC-enabled SWMM implementation of the Astlingen RTC benchmarking network

The advanced control of urban drainage systems (UDS) has great potential in reducing pollution to the receiving waters by optimizing the operations of UDS infrastructural elements. Existing controls vary in complexity, including local and global strategies, Real-Time Control (RTC) and Model Predictive Control (MPC).

Their results are, however, site-specific, hindering a direct comparison of their performance. Therefore, the working group 'Integral Real-Time Control' of the German Water Association (DWA) developed the Astlingen benchmark network, which has been implemented in conceptual hydrological models and applied to compare RTC strategies.

However, the level of detail of such implementations is insufficient for testing more complex MPC strategies. In order to provide a benchmark for MPC, this paper presents: (1) The implementation of the conceptual Astlingen system in an open-source hydrodynamic model (EPA-SWMM), and (2) the application of an MPC strategy to the developed SWMM model.

The MPC strategy was tested against traditional and well-established local and global RTC approaches, demonstrating how the proposed benchmark system can be used to test and compare complex control strategies.