# US 11,078,650 B2 · Management of liquid conduit systems > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,078,650 B2 - Document ID: US11078650B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/061,276 - Filed: 2016-12-21 - Published: 2018-12-13 - Granted: 2021-08-03 - Earliest claimed: 2015-12-21 - Assignees: IP2Ipo Innovations Limited - Applicants: Imperial Innovations Limited - Inventors: Ivan Stoianov; Edo Abraham; Filippo Pecci - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11078650B2 ## CPC - E03B 7/071: {Arrangement of safety devices in domestic pipe systems, e.g. devices for automatic shut-off} - E03B 7/02: Public or like main pipe systems - E03B 7/075: {Arrangement of devices for control of pressure or flow rate} - G05D 16/2026: {with a plurality of throttling means} - G05D 16/204: {the plurality of throttling means being arranged in parallel} - G05D 16/2066: {using controlling means acting on the pressure source} - Y02A 20/15: Leakage reduction or detection in water storage or distribution - E03B: INSTALLATIONS OR METHODS FOR OBTAINING, COLLECTING, OR DISTRIBUTING WATER (drilling wells, obtaining fluids in general from wells E21B; pipe-line systems in general F17D) - G05D: SYSTEMS FOR CONTROLLING OR REGULATING NON-ELECTRIC VARIABLES - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE ## Abstract A method for controlling conditions within a liquid conduit system. The method comprising: defining a zone within the liquid conduit system, wherein pressure within the zone is influenced by one or more actuator valves; controlling the one or more actuator valves in dependence on a Pareto efficient solution to the minimisation of functions of the average pressure within the zone (AZP) and the pressure variability within the zone (PVZ). ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for controlling pressure conditions within a liquid conduit system comprising defining a zone within the liquid conduit system, wherein pressure within the zone is influenced by one or more actuator valves; defining a first function to be minimised, the first function expressing the average pressure within the zone (AZP); defining a second function to be minimised, the second function expressing the pressure variability within the zone (PVZ); minimising the first and second functions; determining a Pareto efficient solution to a problem of optimal minimisation of both the first and second functions; and controlling the one or more actuator valves in dependence on the Pareto efficient solution. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein one or more locations of the one or more actuator valves are selected in dependence on the Pareto efficient solution. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the zone comprises a plurality of conduits, and each conduit is represented by a weighting factor for constraining the second function. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, wherein the weighting factor is generated in dependence on a criticality risk-based parameter of the conduit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) A method according to claim 3, wherein the weighting factor is generated in dependence on a vulnerability risk-based parameter of the conduit. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the Pareto efficient solution is obtained using a series of single-objective mixed integer non-linear programs. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the Pareto efficient solution is obtained using a scalarization method. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A method according to claim 1, wherein the first function is formulated as a weighted sum of nodal pressures within the zone, where a respective weighting factor for each nodal pressure is representative of lengths of conduit connected to corresponding nodes. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A computer program product comprising computer executable instructions embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium for carrying out the method of claim 1. ### Claim 10 An apparatus for controlling a liquid conduit system comprising a zone containing one or more actuator valves, the apparatus comprising one or more processors configured to minimise a first function and a second function, wherein the first function expresses an average pressure within the zone (AZP) and the second function expresses a pressure variability within the zone (PVZ); calculate a Pareto efficient solution to a problem of optimal minimisation of both the first and second functions; and control the one or more actuator valves in dependence on the Pareto efficient solution. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein one or more of the locations of the one or more actuator valves are selected in dependence on the Pareto efficient solution. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the zone comprises a plurality of conduits, a corresponding weighting factor is ascribed to each conduit, and each weighting factor is applied within the second function. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the weighting factor is generated in dependence on a criticality risk-based parameter of the conduit. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) An apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the weighting is generated in dependence on a vulnerability risk-based parameter of the conduit. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the Pareto efficient solution is obtained using a series of single-objective mixed integer non-linear programs. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the Pareto efficient solution is obtained using a scalarization method. ### Claim 17 (depends on 10) An apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the first function is formulated as a weighted sum of nodal pressures within the zone, where a respective weighting factor for each nodal pressure is representative of lengths of conduit connected to corresponding nodes.