Reliability Tester for Water-Distribution Networks

Abstract

A computer model for assessing the reliability of water-distribution networks is presented. Both mechanical failure caused by pipe breakages and hydraulic failure caused by insufficient pipe capacity are incorporated into a simple stochastic model. A network solver identifies nodal pressures for individual pipe-failure conditions over a range of network demands, where both pipe failure and network demand are of known probabilities. The probabilities of pressure deficiency at nodes are calculated, from which the availability of supply is determined. Two examples are presented to clarify the principles of the model and to demonstrate the practicality of its applications. The model was developed to enable rapid yet realistic analysis of the reliability of water-distribution networks, and can be used for analyzing either existing systems or proposed designs of new systems.