scholarly journals Integrated sensing technologies for detection and location of leaks in water distribution networks

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1589-1601 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaa Hawari ◽  
Mohammad Khader ◽  
Walaa Hirzallah ◽  
Tarek Zayed ◽  
Osama Moselhi

Abstract Water distribution networks (WDNs) are infrastructure systems that have high socioeconomic values, for which efficient operation and management are required to ensure minimal amounts of waste which can be represented in the form of leaks. Leak detection is considered as one of the challenges faced by municipalities operating WDNs because it either involves shutting down the system or requires using expensive equipment and technologies. In this paper, a novel noninvasive and nondestructive methodology for detecting leaks in water pipes was tested. Ground penetrating radar was used for accurate determination of pipe location, followed by infrared (IR) thermographic imaging for determining the leak location using four different operating conditions. Results were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance and pairwise comparison methods. Several factors were found to affect the accuracy of the proposed methodology in predicting the leak location, namely, the characteristics of the studied surface (i.e. emissivity), the characteristics of the surrounding environment (i.e. ambient temperature and relative humidity), and the operating conditions of the IR camera (i.e. speed and height of the camera). The results obtained in this study have also shown that under high ambient temperatures and high relative humidity conditions, a higher speed of the IR camera would reduce the impact of noise on the collected thermal contrast and therefore, would give better leak location prediction results. The tested methodology proved the flexibility of the approach and the ability of accurately predicting the leak locations under different conditions.

Entropy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Do Yoo ◽  
Dong Chang ◽  
Yang Song ◽  
Jung Lee

This study proposed a pressure driven entropy method (PDEM) that determines a priority order of pressure gauge locations, which enables the impact of abnormal condition (e.g., pipe failures) to be quantitatively identified in water distribution networks (WDNs). The method developed utilizes the entropy method from information theory and pressure driven analysis (PDA), which is the latest hydraulic analysis method. The conventional hydraulic approach has problems in determining the locations of pressure gauges, attributable to unrealistic results under abnormal conditions (e.g., negative pressure). The proposed method was applied to two benchmark pipe networks and one real pipe network. The priority order for optimal locations was produced, and the result was compared to existing approach. The results of the conventional method show that the pressure reduction difference of each node became so excessive, which resulted in a distorted distribution. However, with the method developed, which considers the connectivity of a system and the influence among nodes based on PDA and entropy method results, pressure gauges can be more realistically and reasonably located.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 846-854 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. A. Pardo ◽  
J. Valdes-Abellan

Abstract Traditional methods for prioritizing the renewal of water are based on heuristic models, such as the number of breaks per length, rule-of-thumb, and records held by the water utility companies. Efficient management of water distribution networks involves factoring in water and energy losses as the key criteria for planning pipe renewal. Prioritizing the replacement of a pipe according to the highest value of unit headloss due to ageing does not consider the impact on water and energy consumption for the whole network. Thus, this paper proposes a methodology to prioritize pipe replacement according to water and energy savings per monetary unit invested – economic prioritization. This renewal plan shows different results if comparing with replacing pipelines with regard to age and it requires calculating water and energy audits of the water distribution networks. Moreover, the required time to recover the investment performed needs to be calculated. The methodology proposed in this work is compared with the unit headloss criterion used in a real water-pressurized network. The results demonstrate that using the unit headloss criterion neither water, energy nor the investment is optimized. Significant water and energy savings are not fully exploited.


2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 295-300 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamás Huzsvár ◽  
Richárd Wéber ◽  
Csaba János Hős

One of the basic infrastructures of every settlement is the water distribution system, which provides clean and potable water for both private houses, industrial consumers and institution establishments. The operational robustness and vulnerabilities of these networks is an essential issue, both for the quality of life and for the preservation of the environment. Even with frequent and careful maintenance, unintentional pipe bursts might occur, and during the reparation time, the damaged section must be isolated hydraulically from the main body of the water distribution network. Due to the size and complexity of these networks, it might not be trivial how to isolate the burst section, especially if one wishes to minimize the impact on the overall system. This paper presents an algorithmic method that is capable of creating isolation plans for real-life networks in a computationally efficient way, based on the graph properties of the network. Besides this segmentation plan, the topological behavior of the structural graph properties was analyzed with the help of the complex network theory to create a method for the quantitative topology based categorization of the water distribution networks.


Author(s):  
Dionysios Nikolopoulos ◽  
Georgios Moraitis ◽  
Dimitrios Bouziotas ◽  
Archontia Lykou ◽  
George Karavokiros ◽  
...  

<p>Emergent threats in the water sector have the form of cyber-physical attacks that target SCADA systems of water utilities. Examples of attacks include chemical/biological contamination, disruption of communications between network elements and manipulating sensor data. RISKNOUGHT is an innovative cyber-physical stress testing platform, capable of modelling water distribution networks as cyber-physical systems. The platform simulates information flow of the cyber layer’s networking and computational elements and the feedback interactions with the physical processes under control. RISKNOUGHT utilizes an EPANET-based solver with pressure-driven analysis functionality for the physical process and a customizable network model for the SCADA system representation, which is capable of implementing complex control logic schemes within a simulation. The platform enables the development of composite cyber-physical attacks on various elements of the SCADA including sensors, actuators and PLCs, assessing the impact they have on the hydraulic response of the distribution network, the quality of supplied water and the level of service to consumers. It is envisaged that this platform could help water utilities navigate the ever-changing risk landscape of the digital era and help address some of the modern challenges due to the ongoing transformation of water infrastructure into cyber-physical systems.</p>


Water ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 1129-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myrna Casillas ◽  
Luis Garza-Castañón ◽  
Vicenç Puig ◽  
Adriana Vargas-Martinez

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (19) ◽  
pp. 2617
Author(s):  
Thapelo C. Mosetlhe ◽  
Yskandar Hamam ◽  
Shengzhi Du ◽  
Eric Monacelli

Water losses in Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) are inevitable. This is due to joints interconnections, ageing infrastructure and excessive pressure at lower demand. Pressure control has been showing promising results as a means of minimising water loss. Furthermore, it has been shown that pressure information at critical nodes is often adequate to ensure effective control in the system. In this work, a greedy algorithm for the identification of critical nodes is presented. An emulator for the WDN solution is put forward and used to simulate the dynamics of the WDN. A model-free control scheme based on reinforcement learning is used to interact with the proposed emulator to determine optimal pressure reducing valve settings based on the pressure information from the critical node. Results show that flows through the pipes and nodal pressure heads can be reduced using this scheme. The reduction in flows and nodal pressure leads to reduced leakage flows from the system. Moreover, the control scheme used in this work relies on the current operation of the system, unlike traditional machine learning methods that require prior knowledge about the system.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amin Ganjidoost ◽  
Mark A. Knight ◽  
Andre J. A. Unger ◽  
Carl T. Haas

This study develops an implementation framework for asset management strategic planning of water distribution networks to meet sustainable infrastructure, socio-political, and financial targets over the life cycle of the infrastructure. The proposed framework is comprised of three decision-making layers: (1) Visions and Values, (2) Function, and (3) Performance. The asset management strategy framework is implemented and validated by demonstrating functionality and value by using data from three water utilities in Canada. The Visions and Values layer is set to meet the needs of the water utilities' stakeholders. The Function layer uses an advanced system dynamics model to simulate and forecast the system's future behavior. The Performance layer benchmarks, compares, and graphically illustrates the situation and performance of water utilities against each other regardless of their size. Benchmarking results indicate that all three water utilities can sustainably meet the strategic targets established in the Visions and Values layer of the asset management strategy over the benchmarking period. The impact of the desired cash reserve on infrastructure and financial benchmarking performance indicators is also investigated to explore the “optimal” combination of allowable fee-hike and rehabilitation rates using the contour plots developed over the benchmarking period. The results indicate that the optimal combinations of allowable fee-hike of ~8% per year and rehabilitation rate of 1.3% per year along with a 1–4% cash reserve, depends on the network condition, will allow water utilities to have sufficient funds to meet their strategic targets. The performance modeling and simulation approach presented in this study represents a powerful tool for other utilities to develop optimal strategic and operational plans for their networks and thus better service to their stakeholders.


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