Advances in Assessing the Reliability of Water Distribution Networks: A Bibliometric Analysis and Scoping Review

Abstract

The reliability of Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) is a critical topic that has been explored by many researchers over the last few decades. Nevertheless, this research domain has gained momentum in the last decade. WDN reliability was addressed in the literature using different approaches and techniques. This study presents a bibliometric analysis and scoping review of the progress and gaps in research on WDN reliability. The analysis was performed on a total of 347 articles from 2000 to 2022, which were retrieved from the SCOPUS database. The bibliometric analysis identified trends and gaps by focusing on articles output, citation network of articles, co-authorship and collaboration analysis, co-citation, and clustering analysis. In addition, coupling keywords analysis with thematic maps analysis helped identify basic, niche, emerging, and declining research themes in the field of WDN reliability. Three major research themes were found: WDN optimization, reliability assessment, and consideration of GHG emissions and energy-cost for WDN expansion. Reliability surrogate measures (RSMs) were found to be one of the most widely researched topics in this field. Performance assessment of various RSMs, as well as the consideration of energy and cost for WDN design and expansion stood out as the emerging trends for future research in the field of WDN reliability.