Modelling and reliability analysis of water distribution systems

This paper describes pressure-driven simulation and highlights the important role that it plays in the management of water distribution systems. Two cases are described for a real water distribution system of about 5,100 nodes serving a population of approximately 44,000. One case involves the simulation of the effects of the failure of a major system component. The other case is concerned with the capacity of the distribution system with reference to growing demands over a planning horizon spanning two decades. The examples considered demonstrate the primacy of pressures in water distribution systems and highlight some of the shortcomings of demand-driven methods for analysing water distribution systems.