scholarly journals A Decision Support Tool for Water Supply System Decentralization via Distribution Network Sectorization

Processes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 642
Author(s):  
Oscar T. Vegas Niño ◽  
Fernando Martínez Alzamora ◽  
Velitchko G. Tzatchkov

Many water supply systems, conceived to operate in centralized manner, face difficulties to adapt to dynamic changes, such as population growth, city extension, and industrial development. Decentralization of these systems may be an effective solution. Known techniques for distribution network sectorization design can help to achieve such a goal, but this has not been recognized in the literature. None of those known techniques considers the conversion of a centralized system to a decentralized one. In this paper, two new distinct yet complementary methodologies for water supply system decentralization by distribution network sectorization are proposed and implemented in a software decision support tool freely available on internet. The first methodology identifies the main flow paths from water sources to some strategic nodes and considers the nodes in these paths as new potential sources for dividing the rest of the network. The second methodology sectorizes the network according to the contribution of sources to the consumption at nodes, based on mass balance equations for the transport of a hypothetical conservative constituent in a steady state. Both methods were applied to two real network models. The results obtained were better, for decentralizing the supply, compared to those obtained by other methodologies proposed in the literature.

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen X. Zhang ◽  
Vladan Babovic

Water supply has become a priority for developed and developing nations of the world. Conventional water resources alone cannot meet the growing demand for water in urban cities. Management of the problem is amplified by uncertainty associated with different development strategies. Singapore has limited conventional water resources and progressively architects its water supply system through acquiring and sustaining multiple (alternative) water resources through innovative technologies. The full rationale and merits of such a policy cannot be properly understood based on traditional project valuation methods alone. This paper provides decision support using a real options approach by evaluating innovative water technologies from multiple perspectives under uncertainty. This paper demonstrates that incorporating innovative water technologies into water supply systems can concurrently improve water supply from the financial, political and socioeconomic perspectives. The development of innovative water technologies provides flexibility to the water supply system, and is a fundamental and effective means of risk management. The evaluation of innovative water technologies is based on an integrated real options approach, which provides decision support for architecting water supply systems under uncertainty. The approach gives specific tangible values for the water technologies and complements the general prescriptive Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (30) ◽  
pp. 497-503
Author(s):  
A. B. dos SANTOS ◽  
É. C. DIAS ◽  
G. P. C. da SILVA ◽  
R. P. RIBEIRO ◽  
A. M. SILVA

Due to the events of the last years, when, mainly the Southeast region of Brazil has experienced one of the worst periods of water shortage, there has been a process of national awareness for the need of care with the quality and quantity of water. Therefore, currently in the national and world scenario is seeking to minimize the waste of water, acting mainly in the water supply systems, which have the highest loss rates of this liquid. In this way, the objective is to determine the volume of water (1000m³/year) wasted in SAA (Water Supply System), based on the amount of water produced and consumed in the North and Central-West region of Brazil and, from this, compare the losses in those regions, for the year 2015. Based on the analysis of the datas, it was verified that the water supply in the North and Central-West regions presented high losses rates, 43% and 37%, respectively. Actions such as maintenance of sanitary fittings and elimination of leaks in the residence, more efficient operation and maintenance of the system and improvement in the commercial management of service providers, are measures to combat and reduce water losses.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolijn van Engelenburg ◽  
Erik van Slobbe ◽  
Adriaan J. Teuling ◽  
Remko Uijlenhoet ◽  
Petra Hellegers

Abstract. Developments such as climate change and growing demand for drinking water threaten the sustainability of drinking water supply worldwide. To deal with this threat, adaptation of drinking water supply systems is imperative, not only on a global and national scale, but particularly on a local scale. This investigation sought to establish characteristics that describe the sustainability of local drinking water supply. We use an integrated systems approach, describing the local drinking water supply system in terms of hydrological, technical and socio-economic characteristics that determine the sustainability of a local drinking water supply system. Three cases on drinking water supply in the Netherlands are analysed. One case relates to a short-term development, that is the 2018 summer drought, and two concern long-term phenomena, that is, changes in water quality and growth in drinking water demand. The approach taken recognises that next to extreme weather events, socio-economic developments will be among the main drivers of changes in drinking water supply. Effects of pressures associated with, for example, population growth, industrial developments and land use changes, could result in limited water resource availability, deteriorated groundwater quality and growing water demand. To gain a perspective on the case study findings broader than the Dutch context, the sustainability issues identified were paired with global issues concerning sustainable drinking water supply. This resulted in a proposed set of generally applicable sustainability characteristics, each divided into five criteria describing the hydrological, technical and socio-economic sustainability of a local drinking water supply system. Elaboration of these sustainability characteristics and criteria into a sustainability assessment can provide information on the challenges and trade-offs inherent in the sustainable development and management of a local drinking water supply system.


Author(s):  
Marianna D'Ercole ◽  
Maurizio Righetti ◽  
Gema Raspati ◽  
Paolo Bertola ◽  
Rita Maria Ugarelli

The management of existing water distribution system (WDS) is challenged by ageing of infrastructure, population growth, increasing of urbanization, climate change impacts and environmental pollution. Therefore, there is a need for integrated solutions that support decision makers to plan today, while taking into account the effect of these factors in the mid and long term. The paper is part of a more comprehensive project, where advanced hydraulic analysis for WDS is coupled with a dynamic resources input-output analysis model. The proposed modeling solution can be used to optimize the performance of a water supply system while considering also the energy consumption and consequently the environmental impacts. Therefore, as a support tool in the management of a water supply system also in the intervention planning. Here a possible application is presented for rehabilitation/replacement planning while maximizing the network mechanical reliability and minimizing risk of unsupplied demand and pressure deficit, under given economic constraints.


Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2580
Author(s):  
Yang Zhou ◽  
Eric Lee ◽  
Ling-Tim Wong ◽  
Kwok-Wai Mui

Skyscrapers are common nowadays around the world, especially in cities with limited development area. In order to pump water up to the higher level of a skyscraper, a cascade water supply system has to be installed. Currently, cascade water supply systems are mainly designed based on practical experiences or requirements of existing standards/guidelines that, in fact, are not specifically for skyscrapers. However, thorough studies on cascade water supply system designs are still limited in the literature. This study proposes mathematical models and uses Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the design flow rate of a typical cascade water supply system that feeds various appliances in a residential skyscraper in Hong Kong. Graphs that showed the correlations between the inflow rate in the supply pipe and water volume in the tank are obtained. While tank storage volume is confirmed, the design flow rate of the cascade water supply system can be determined from these graphs. The proposed mathematical models can also be applied to evaluate the design flow rate of cascade water supply systems in other types of skyscrapers (e.g., office, commercial building) as well as with the changes in water demand patterns in the models.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 447-457
Author(s):  
Joseph Cook ◽  
Jake Wagner ◽  
Gunnar Newell

Abstract Over a dozen studies have examined how households who travel to collect water (about one-quarter of humanity) make choices about where and how much to collect. There is little evidence, however, that these studies have informed rural water supply planning in anything but a qualitative way. In this paper, we describe a new web-based decision support tool that planners or community members can use to simulate scenarios such as (1) price, quality, or placement changes of existing sources, (2) the closure of an existing source, or (3) the addition of a new source. We describe the analytical structure of the model and then demonstrate its possibilities using data from a recent study in rural Meru County, Kenya. We discuss some limits of the current model, and encourage readers and practitioners to explore it and suggest ways in which it could be improved or used most effectively.


Urban History ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 415-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
MANEL GUARDIA ◽  
MARIBEL ROSSELLÓ ◽  
SERGI GARRIGA

ABSTRACTThe development of modern water supply systems has varied widely in terms of speed, paths and results, and each supply system has been strongly conditioned by its spatial, socio-economic and cultural context. Barcelona provides a useful illustration of how such a modern system came into being in a particularly dynamic southern European setting. Despite being Spain's leading industrial centre, the driving force behind the introduction of its new water supply system did not come from an industrial imperative but rather from the city's expansion plan, approved in 1859, which gave rise to a proliferation of private initiatives. Later, decisive changes around the turn of the twentieth century led to a concentration of water companies, sewer renewal projects and the entry of water into the domestic sphere, and the extension of the water supply to people's homes. The development of a modern water supply system in Barcelona, however, required a period of a hundred years – from 1867, when the first steam-powered pumping station was built, to 1967, when the water from the Ter River transfer reached the city, allowing new consumption patterns to spread rapidly.


2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 400-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
LT Wong ◽  
KW Mui ◽  
Y Zhou

High-rise housing, a trend in densely populated cities around the world, increases energy use for water supply and corresponding greenhouse gas emissions. With emphasis on improving the energy efficiency in the water supply systems, this paper proposes an energy efficiency evaluation measure for the water supply system designs and demonstrates its potential applications in a typical high-rise water supply system. In the proposed measure, the energy efficiency in a water supply system is defined as the potential energy required at the demand locations divided by the pumping energy of the supply system. The outcome of this paper provides useful benchmark references not only for the water supply system designs but also for the water demand management programmes in buildings. Practical application: An energy efficiency evaluation measure for the water supply system designs is used to establish benchmark references for not only the water supply system designs but also for the water demand management programmes in buildings.


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