Waste Management and Network Models


Lecture 20

November 11, 2024

Review and Questions

Mixed Integer Linear Programming

  • Problems involving integer variables break assumptions of LP.
  • Can solve using branch and bound or related algorithms.
  • Iteratively solve a sequence of restricted LPs until integer solution is found.

Example: Unit Commitment

  • Power systems problem involving which generators to operate.
  • Binary variables reflect operational status.
  • Much more complicated than economic dispatch!

Questions

Poll Everywhere QR Code

Text: VSRIKRISH to 22333

URL: https://pollev.com/vsrikrish

See Results

Solid Waste Management

Waste Load Allocation

Some relevant questions:

  • Where do we send waste?
  • What types of facilities do we build/operate?

Waste Management Hierarchy

Source: EPA

Waste Allocation As A Network

Want to model flows between waste sources and sinks (disposal sites).

Network Representation

Network Parameterization

Network Parameterization
Variable Definition
\(\color{purple}S_i\) Waste produced at source \(i\) (Mg/day)
\(\color{red}K_j\) Capacity of disposal \(j\) (Mg/day)
\(\color{blue}W_{ij}\) Waste transported from source \(i\) to disposal \(j\) (Mg/day)

What Is Missing?

This network representation takes into account the graph structure of the system, but nothing else.

What else might we need?

System-Specific Information Needs

To complete the model, need:

  • System dynamics (fate & transport);
  • Objectives
  • Costs
  • Management goals and/or regulatory constraints

Waste Management Example

Example System

Waste Management Example

Three disposal options:

  • Waste-to-Energy (WTE)
  • Materials Recovery Facility (MRF)
  • Landfill (LF)

Waste Management Decision Variables

Waste Management Example

What are our decision variables?

Waste Management Decision Variables

Variable Definition
\(W_{ij}\) Waste transported from city \(i\) to disposal \(j\) (Mg/day)
\(R_{kj}\) Residual waste transported from disposal \(k\) to disposal \(j\) (Mg/day)
\(Y_j\) Operational status (on/off) of disposal \(j\) (binary)

Objective: Minimize Total Costs

What are some components of total system cost?

Cost Components

  • Transportation of waste
  • Disposal: fixed costs and variable costs

Objective: Transportation Costs

Variable Definition
\(a_{ij}\) Cost of transporting waste from source \(i\) to disposal \(j\) ($/Mg-km)
\(l_{ij}\) Distance between source \(i\) and disposal \(j\) (km)

\[ \begin{align} &\text{Transportation Costs} = \\[0.5em] &\qquad \sum_{i \in I, j \in J} a_{ij}\,l_{ij}\,W_{ij} \end{align} \]

Objective: Disposal Costs

Variable Definition
\(c_j\) Fixed costs of operating disposal \(j\) ($/day)
\(b_{j}\) Variable cost of disposing waste at disposal \(j\) ($/Mg)

\[ \begin{align} &\text{Disposal Costs} = \\[0.5em] &\qquad \sum_{j \in J} \left[c_j + b_j \sum_{i \in I} W_{ij}\right] \end{align} \]

Is this expression for disposal costs right?

Objective: Disposal Costs

The prior expression is only correct if all disposal facilities are operating.

The option to not operate disposal facility \(j\) means we need new indicator variables.

\[Y_j = \begin{cases}0 & \text{if} \sum_{i \in I} W_{ij} = 0 \\[0.5em] 1 & \text{if} \sum_{i \in I} W_{ij} > 0\end{cases}\]

Waste Mass-Balance Constraints

  1. Need to dispose of all waste from each source \(i\): \[\sum_{j \in J} W_{ij} = S_i\]
  2. Capacity limit at each disposal site \(j\): \[\sum_{i \in I} W_{ij} \leq K_j\]

Problem Formulation

\[ \begin{align} \min_{W_{i,j}, {Y_j}} & \sum_i \sum_j a_{ij}\,l_{ij}\,W_{ij} + \sum_j \left[c_jY_j + \sum_i b_jW_{ij}\right] \\ \text{subject to:} \quad & Y_j = \begin{cases}0 & \text{if } \sum_{i \in I} W_{ij} + \sum_{k \noteq j} R_{kj} = 0 \\ 1 & \text{if } \sum_{i \in I} W_{ij} + \sum_{k \noteq j} R_{kj} > 0 \end{cases} \\ & \sum_i W_{ij} + \sum_k R_{kj} \leq K_j \\ & \sum_j W_{ij} = S_i \\ & W_{ij} \geq 0 \end{align} \]

Facility Costs

Waste Management Example
Facility Fixed Cost ($/yr) Tipping Cost ($/Mg) Recycling Cost ($/Mg recycled)
WTE 900,000 60
MRF 400,000 5 35
LF 700,000 40

MRF Recycling Rate: 40%

WTE Costs

Waste Management Example

Fixed Costs: $900,000/yr

Tipping Cost: $60/Mg handled

Total WTE Cost ($/day): \[2466 Y_1 + 60(W_{11} + W_{21} + R_{21})\]

MRF Costs

Waste Management Example

Recycling: 40%, $35/Mg recycled

Fixed Costs: $400,000/yr

Tipping Cost: $5/Mg handled

Total MRF Cost ($/day): \[ \begin{align} &1096 Y_2 + 5(W_{12} + W_{22}) + \\ &\qquad 0.4(35)(W_{12} + W_{22}) \end{align} \]

LF Costs

Waste Management Example

Fixed Costs: $700,000/yr

Tipping Cost: $40/Mg handled

Total LF Cost ($/day): \[1918 Y_2 + 40(W_{13} + W_{23} + R_{13} + R_{23})\]

Transportation Costs

Waste Management Example

Transportation Cost: $1.50/Mg-km

Total Tranportation Cost ($/day): \[ \begin{align} 1.5&{\Large[}15W_{11} + 5W_{12} + 30W_{13} \\ & \quad 10W_{21} + 15W_{22} + 25W_{23} \\ & \quad 18R_{13} + 15R_{21} + 32R_{23}{\Large]} \end{align} \]

Final Objective

Combining the transportation and disposal costs and simplifying: \[ \begin{align} \min_{W, R, Y} \qquad & 82.5 W_{11} + 26.5W_{12} + 85W_{13} + 75W_{21} + \\[0.25em] & \quad 41.5W_{22} + 77.5W_{23} + 67R_{13} + 82.5R_{21} + \\[0.75em] & \quad 88R_{23} + 2466Y_1 + 1096Y_2 + 1918Y_3 \end{align} \]

City Mass-Balance Constraints

Waste Management Example

City 1: \(W_{11} + W_{12} + W_{13} = 100\)

City 2: \(W_{21} + W_{22} + W_{23} = 170\)

Residual Mass-Balance Constraints

Waste Management Example

Recycling Rate: 40%

WTE Residual Ash: 20%

\(R_{13} = 0.2(W_{11} + W_{21} + R_{21})\)

\(R_{21} + R_{23} = 0.6(W_{12} + W_{22})\)

Disposal Limit Constraints

Waste Management Example

WTE: \(W_{11} + W_{21} + R_{21} \leq 150\)

MRF: \(W_{12} + W_{22} \leq 130\)

LF: \(W_{13} + W_{23} + R_{23} + R_{13} \leq 200\)

Commitment and Non-Negativity Constraints

\[ \begin{align} Y_1 &= \begin{cases}0 &\quad \text{if } W_{11} + W_{21} + R_{21} = 0 \\ 1 & \quad \text{else} \end{cases} \\ Y_2 &= \begin{cases}0 &\quad \text{if } W_{21} + W_{22} = 0 \\ 1 & \quad \text{else} \end{cases} \\ Y_3 &= 1 \\[0.5em] W_{ij}, R_{ij} &\geq 0 \end{align}\]

How To Incorporate Indicator Constraints in JuMP

Some solvers allow you to directly translate indicator constraints into JuMP. For example,

@constraint(waste, commit2, !Y[2] => {W[1,2] + W[2,2] == 0})

implements \[Y_2 = \begin{cases}0 &\quad \text{if } W_{21} + W_{22} = 0 \\ 1 & \quad \text{else} \end{cases} \]

How To Incorporate Indicator Constraints in Other Solvers

Not all frameworks support this type of syntax. So what can we do?

Use a “big-M” reformulation:

\[MY_1 \geq W_{21} + W_{22}\]

where \(M\) is so large that it is greater than any feasible value of the RHS.

Example Solution

After putting this all into JuMP (you know how!), optimal objective is $26,879/day.

\(Y_1 = 1\)

\(Y_2 = 1\)

\(Y_3 = 1\)

\(W_{12} = 100\) Mg/day

\(W_{23} = 170\) Mg/day

\(R_{13} = 7.5\) Mg/day

\(R_{21} = 37.5\) Mg/day

\(R_{23} = 22.5\) Mg/day

Example Solution

Waste Management Problem Solution

Key Takeaways

Network Problems

  • Explicitly model flows between network components;
  • Often are limits on flow or node capacities;
  • Fate & transport dynamics can result in residuals and extra flows.
  • Often are non-obvious results for how to route relevant stocks through network.

Another example: power flow modeling through a transmission network.

Solid Waste Management

  • Network induced by flows between sources and sinks
  • Different types of facilities can produce different residual waste products.
  • Extra residual waste can mean facilities have to operate.

Network Models

  • Can have more advanced network models with highly-specified routes
    • Transportation networks
    • Power transmission networks
    • Pipeline networks
  • Can also add flow constraints rather than just mass-balance.
  • Flows could also be bidirectional.

Upcoming Schedule

Next Lectures

  • Wednesday: Prelim 2
  • Next Week: Stochastic Optimization and Scenario Trees