Explicit Pipe Network Calibration

Abstract

In order to improve the reliability of hydraulic network models as well as eliminate the need for trial‐and‐error calibration methods, an explicit calibration algorithm is proposed. The calibration algorithm is formulated in terms of headloss coefficients and is developed from a reformulation of the basic network equations. The basic network equations are solved explicitly for headloss adjustments to exactly meet one or more measured conditions of pressure or flow for given network loading and operating conditions. The adjustments determined in this manner are used to revise pipe roughnesses or defined concentrated head (minor) losses to meet the measured conditions. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach, the developed algorithm is applied to an example network.