CENTAUR: Real time flow control system for flood risk reduction

The effects of climate change and urbanisation are putting increasing pressure on wastewater networks both in the UK and overseas. In many cases there is a desire to avoid the high capital expenditure required to increase capacity in order to reduce flood events and CSO spills. Thus, innovative solutions to optimise the usage of existing capacity in sewer networks are an attractive proposition. A novel Fuzzy Logic algorithm to operate a modified commercially available flow control device to allow unused capacity in the upper part of the wastewater network to be utilised in order to decrease flood volumes has been developed. This paper outlines the control concepts and presents a methodology and results from ‘virtual testing’ using a modified hydrodynamic network model linked to a Fuzzy Logic control algorithm in Matlab.