Performance Index for Water Distribution Networks under Multiple Loading Conditions

Abstract

Previous studies have naturally related water distribution network performance to the ability to deliver sufficient pressure and flow. The present paper emphasizes that performance also depends on the efficiency of delivering these requirements. Accordingly, an efficiency-based performance index is proposed. It is the geometric average of four performance metrics: reliability, vulnerability, resilience, and connectivity. These are themselves based on the energy efficiency, hydraulic capacity, and structural ability of the system to deliver water under a range of conditions. The metrics are applied to two example networks and variations of these, enabling the assessment of their relevance, their sensitivity to system changes, and permitting a comparison to existing metrics. Variations represent different redundancy increasing strategies, recognized for improving performance. The proposed performance index generally follows a similar trend as the previous indices, increasing with network pressure. Nevertheless, it varies differently and penalizes networks with unnecessarily high pressures. Because the index is based on energy and demand efficiency metrics, it automatically complies with the energy and mass balances of the network. Moreover, the new metric is easily interpreted and can be applied to various systems, whether complex or involving multiple scenarios.