Dr Peter Bounds

Job: Senior Lecturer

Faculty: Computing, Engineering and Media

School/department: School of Computer Science and Informatics

Research group(s): Centre for Engineering Science and Advanced Systems (CESAS)

Address: De Montfort University, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH

T: +44 (0)116 257 7589

E: plmb@dmu.ac.uk

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Personal profile

Peter Bounds is a member of the Water Software Systems research group. He worked in the computing industry for two years before joining the research group, and then for eleven years he was employed on fixed-term industrial-research projects working for the water industry. He has successfully completed projects for water companies within the UK, France and Belgium. He has made major contributions to the area of computer aided engineering environments for water distribution systems. He has integrated databases, simulators and optimization solvers into a commercial computer-aided network-engineering package called Finesse. He is particularly interested in employing high-level modelling languages to solve optimal control problems. Successes include online optimal network control scheduler, pressure control scheduler, network model calibrator, flow scheduler and hydraulic simulator. He is a senior lecturer at De Montfort University where this research was conducted. His experience with databases, user interfaces and programming languages in delivering solutions for water companies enhances his teaching of computing.

Research group affiliations

Centre for Engineering Science and Advanced Systems (CESAS)

Water Software Systems (WSS) research group

Publications and outputs

Making connections between final year students and potential project supervisors
dc.title: Making connections between final year students and potential project supervisors dc.contributor.author: Clement, Ross; Bounds, Peter dc.description.abstract: A web-based final year project management system, ProMS, has been created and deployed to help coordinate undergraduate final year projects including automating practical tasks such as the submission of documents. ProMS helps introduce students to potential supervisors, through both student access to staff information, and staff access to draft copies of students’ project proposals. Many students who used the system found that it helped them become aware of potential supervisors whom they had never met, and a sizeable proportion of these students listed staff they were previously unaware of as preferred supervisors. The system helps greatly in expanding students’ knowledge of potential project supervisors. Following the deadline for student project proposals, ProMS made it possible to generate a draft allocation of students to supervisors in only a few hours.
Pressure control in district metering areas with boundary and internal pressure reducing valves
dc.title: Pressure control in district metering areas with boundary and internal pressure reducing valves dc.contributor.author: Ulanicki, Bogumil; AbdelMeguid, Hossam Saadeldin; Bounds, Peter; Patel, R. dc.description.abstract: Despite operational improvements over the last 10-15 years, water utilities still are losing a significant amount of potable water from their networks through leakage. The leakage is managed on the one hand by reactive and proactive maintenance and on the other hand by pressure control to reduce background leakage from connection and joints. This paper is based on experience from the Process Control – Water Software Systems group which was involved in many pressure control projects and the current Neptune project (www.neptune.ac.uk). A fast and efficient method to calculate time schedules and flow modulation curves is presented. Both time and flow modulation can be applied to a single inlet DMA. Time modulation can be applied to a multi-inlet district metering area (DMA) but this is not always possible for flow modulation due to the risk of hunting. It is convenient to distinguish between boundary and internal pressure reducing valves (PRVs), the decision variable for a boundary valve is a PRV set-point whereas for the internal valves it is a valve resistance. The resistance is then automatically translated into a set-point for field implementation. The time modulation methodology is based on solving a nonlinear programming problem with equality constraints represented by a hydraulic model with a pressure dependent leakage term and inequality constraints representing operational requirements (e.g. pressure at critical nodes). The cost of boundary flows which include leakage flows is minimized. An extended content model with pressure dependent leakage is simulated to provide a starting point for quick convergence. Optimal time schedules are converted into flow modulation curves by plotting scatter plots of flows against heads.The algorithm has been implemented as a module in the FINESSE package and allows complete pressure control tasks to be solved. A user needs to provide an hydraulic model, eakage information and leakage characteristic – leakage area and the exponent in the pressure power law. The program calculates time schedules and also flow modulation curves for single and multi-inlet PRVs. Evaluation of optimal control strategies and benefit analysis in terms of leakage reduction for two case studies provided by Yorkshire Water Services is included.
Combined Energy and Pressure Management in Water Distribution Systems
dc.title: Combined Energy and Pressure Management in Water Distribution Systems dc.contributor.author: Skworcow, P.; AbdelMeguid, Hossam Saadeldin; Ulanicki, Bogumil; Bounds, Peter; Patel, Ridwan dc.description.abstract: In this paper a method is proposed for combined energy and pressure management via integration and coordination of pump scheduling with pressure control aspects. The proposed solution involves: formulation of an optimisation problem with the cost function being the total cost of water treatment and pumps energy usage, utilisation of an hydraulic model of the network with pressure dependent leakage, and inclusion of a PRV model with the PRV set-points included as a set of decision variables. Such problem formulation led to the optimizer attempting to reduce both energy usage and leakage. The developed algorithm has been integrated into a modelling, simulation and optimisation environment called FINESSE. The case study selected is a major water supply network, being part of Yorkshire Water Services, with a total average demand of 400 l/s.
Optimal pump scheduling with pressure control aspects: case studies
dc.title: Optimal pump scheduling with pressure control aspects: case studies dc.contributor.author: Skworcow, P.; AbdelMeguid, Hossam Saadeldin; Ulanicki, Bogumil; Bounds, Peter dc.description.abstract: In this paper a method for combined energy and pressure management via integration of pump scheduling with pressure control aspects is described and applied to a medium scale water supply network. The method is based on formulating and solving an optimisation problem and involves utilisation of an hydraulic model of the network with pressure dependent leakage and inclusion of a PRV model with the PRV set-points included in a set of decision variables. Such problem formulation led to the optimizer attempting to reduce both energy usage and leakage. Case study considered revealed potential for substantial saving in electrical energy cost using the proposed method. This research is sponsored by and is a part of EPSRC Neptune project www.neptune.ac.uk). The authors are grateful to Ridwan Patel of Yorkshire Water Services for providing the data used in this paper.
Pressure control in district metering areas with boundary and internal pressure reducing valves.
dc.title: Pressure control in district metering areas with boundary and internal pressure reducing valves. dc.contributor.author: Ulanicki, Bogumil; AbdelMeguid, Hossam Saadeldin; Bounds, Peter; Patel, R.
Efficient energy management of a large-scale water supply system
dc.title: Efficient energy management of a large-scale water supply system dc.contributor.author: Bounds, Peter; Kahler, Jens; Ulanicki, Bogumil dc.description.abstract: Efficient energy management is important for water companies in order to meet economic and environmental targets. For many water supply systems, increased savings can only be accomplished by taking into account the non-linear characteristics of the system in terms of both heads and flows and mixed-integer decision variables. Scheduling must be achieved with complicated tariffs that are frequently changed throughout the year, as well as changes to the network structure. The article shows a case study for energy management of a large-scale network using the computer-aided water network engineering software called FINESSE. The network is a typical large-scale supply network supplying many towns and cities. The model of the network includes 4388 pipes, 35 pumps, 63 variable control valves, 10 non-return valves and 16 variable head reservoirs. The study resulted in a set of mixed-integer optimal schedules that achieved a 14% saving in electrical energy while satisfying operating constraints.

Click here to view a full listing of Peter Bounds' publications and outputs.

Key research outputs

Bounds, P. (2010) “Application of High-level Languages for Water Network Modelling: Supporting an Advanced Computer Aided Water Network Engineering environment”, Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany.

Skworcow, P., AbdelMeguid, H., Ulanicki, B. and Bounds, P. (2009). “Optimal pump scheduling with pressure control aspects: case studies.” Computing and Control in the Water Industry 2009 ‘Integrating Water Systems’, J. Boxell and C. Maksimovic, eds., Taylor & Francis Group, London, UK, The Edge, University of Sheffield, UK, 113-119.

Skworcow, P., AbdelMeguid, H., Ulanicki, B., Bounds, P., and Patel, R, (2009). “Combined Energy and Pressure Management in Water Distribution Systems.” World Environment and Water Resources Congress 2009: Great Rivers, S. Steve, ed., ASCE, Kansas City, Missouri, USA, 709-718.

Research interests/expertise

Computer Aided Water Network Engineering environments
Application of High-level Languages for Water Network Modelling

Areas of teaching

Database Management Systems
Dynamic Website and Office Applications

Qualifications

BSc(Hons) MSc PhD FHEA

Courses taught

IMAT3104 Database Management and Programming
IMAT3451 Final Year UG Computing Projects
CTEC2908 Database Design and Management
CTEC2202 Web Applications
CTEC1909 Database Design and Implementation
IMAT1215 Database Management and Reporting
Deputy Programme Leadership of Computer Science and Software Engineering
DMUGlobal Trip for CSI students
Personal Tutoring in CSI