An overview of continuation methods for non-linear model predictive control of water systems

This paper presents a new class of optimization algorithms for nonlinear hydraulic models of water systems, the so-called continuation methods. Solution stability is singled out as an necessary condition for real-life deployment of nonlinear model predictive control of water systems. The paper discusses the stability of solutions produced by traditional approaches and presents improvements of the continuation method. The method has been implemented into the software package RTC-Tools. The application of the continuation method is illustrated with the help of a case study: an operational system for the drainage of a lowland region (polder) in the Western Netherlands.