Water Distribution System Performance Metrics

The safe operation of water distribution systems requires them to perform adequately at different demand levels. The present study defines three energy efficiency based metrics and a structural metric to evaluate network performance. These were calculated for an example network, with different configurations and scenarios. Increasing diameters was found to be most beneficial from an energy efficiency perspective. Nevertheless, loops provide additional resilience against bursts, allowing flow to be diverted. Regarding tanks, not only is storage availability important, but also the rate of water delivery. Redundancy in general allows operations to occur in a narrower and higher efficiency range. (C) 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.