Qualification of hydraulic analysis models for optimal design of water distribution systems

Abstract

The hydraulic analysis of water distribution systems (WDSs) is divided into two approaches, namely, a demand-driven analysis (DDA) and a pressure-driven analysis (PDA). In DDA, the basic assumption is that the nodal demand is fully supplied irrespective of the nodal pressure, which is mainly suitable for normal operating conditions. However, in abnormal conditions, such as pipe failures or unexpected increases in demand, the DDA approach may cause unrealistic results, such as negative pressure. However, despite these realistic hydraulic analysis approaches for WDSs being emphasized in the design process, this consideration was lacking in the design aspect. Therefore, in this study, the designs by the DDA-based design model and PDA-based design model are compared, and their design characteristics are analyzed to identify the efficiency of the WDSs design under abnormal system conditions. The developed PDA model was applied to three networks (a well-known benchmark system and a real-life WDN), and the results showed that the proposed model is superior to other reported models when dealing with negative pressure under abnormal conditions. In addition, the optimal design of WDN considered PDA is presented, and the optimal construction cost is decreased to increase the percentage of PDA.