Performance evaluation of a municipal water distribution system using waterCAD and Epanet

Abstract

Population explosion in urban settings usually exerts enormous pressure on existing water supply systems. The result is that overall water demand is usually not satisfied. This study evaluated the performance of Wadata sub-zone water distribution system with respect to pressure, velocity, hydraulic head loss and nodal demands using WaterCAD and Epanet. There was no statistical difference between the results of Epanet and WaterCAD, however, Epanet produced slightly higher results of pressure and velocity in about 60% of all cases examined. About 19 percent (18.52%) of the total number of nodes analyzed had negative pressures while 69 percent (69%) of the nodes had pressures less than the adopted pressure for the analysis. These negative pressures indicate that there is inadequate head within the distribution network for water conveyance to all the sections. About 88 percent (87.7%) of flow velocities in the pipes were within the adopted velocity while around 12 percent (12.3%) of the velocities exceeded the adopted velocity. These excess velocities are partly responsible for the leakages and pipe bursts observed at some points within the system. The results in this study revealed that the performance of the water distribution system of Wadata sub-zone under current demand is inefficient.