GeoNet - Geometric layout and design for pipe networks with nonlinear flow

Work is now continued in the Julia project PipeLayout.

Purpose

This library (implemented in Python) provides tools to find a suitable layout and design for a flow network. The main motivation comes from gas pipeline networks, where a diameter is chosen for each segment. The friction establishes a nonlinear relationship between flow along edges and pressure at nodes. Using Steiner trees with variable positions of the Steiner nodes, a cost-minimal network can be found.

Features

• utilities for networks and plane geometry
• network flow
• convex optimization to minimize transport given a topology
• wrapper for GeoSteiner program
• convex optimization to find junction location with minimum pipe cost
• enumeration of full Steiner tree topologies (with isomorphism check)

Dependencies

Many of these are only needed for specific features.

Python libraries

• numpy
• scipy
• networkx
• cvxpy

external sofware

• GeoSteiner
• Gurobi (via Python interface)

Licensing

All of my code is distributed with MIT License. GeoSteiner is only called as a subprocess. Gurobi offers an academic license.