Segment-Based Assessment of Consequences of Failure on Water Distribution Systems

This paper presents an assessment methodology that considers the impact of actual valve locations in a water distribution system in creating discrete isolated groups of pipes or segments when evaluating the performance of the network under a failure condition. The layout of the distribution network used as a case study and the location of the isolation valves are based on a survey of the real system instead of being artificially generated. In addition to evaluating the performance of the system under typical conditions with metrics based on loss of connectivity and the reduction in demand satisfaction, the assessment also includes a consideration for fire flow requirements that has not been widely used in combination with a segment-based reliability assessment. (C) 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.

Automated summary

This study introduces an assessment methodology that takes into account the impact of actual valve locations in creating discrete isolated groups of pipes in a water distribution system. The evaluation not only includes metrics based on connectivity loss and demand satisfaction reduction under typical conditions, but also considers fire flow requirements, which is a new addition to segment-based reliability assessment.