Diagnosis of hydraulic performance of water supply systems

Hydraulic simulation and demand analysis have been, for some years now, key research areas for the water supply team at the National Laboratory of Civil Engineering of Portugal. It is felt that the planning, design, operation and control of water supply and distribution systems are greatly improved by the use of adequate analysis and processing tools. Special attention has recently been paid to the assessment of the hydraulic performance of the system, which can greatly assist in establishing a useful diagnosis and in comparing different operational alternatives of upgrading or expansion solutions, in a clear and quantified basis. This paper described the algorithms developed for the purpose, presenting a set of results for one of the case studies where the techniques have already been applied. Such types of methodologies can be envisaged as decision support tools, and are easily applicable so long as demand data and a hydraulic simulator are available. The scope of such tools can be seen as a first step towards the definition of easily implemented decison rules that may eventually integrate a Decision Support System.