Designing of Hydraulically Balanced Water Distribution Network Based on GIS and EPANET

Abstract

The main objectives of this paper are, designing and balancing of Water Distribution Network (WDN) based on loops hydraulically balanced method as well as using Geographical Information System (GIS) methodology with the contribution of EPANET. GIS methodology is used to ensure WDN’s integrity and skeletonized a proper and functional WDN by using Network Analyst utilizing the geometric network and topology network by hierarchical geo-databases. The problem is to make WDN hydraulically balanced by applying WDN balancing method. For that reason, we have analyzed water flows in each pipe and performed the iterations process on loops in order to make the algebraic summation of head loss“h_f” around any closed loop zero. In case, the summation of pipe flows must be equal to the flow amount entering or leaving the system through each node. At each iteration, reasonable changes occurred at pipes flow until the head loss has become very small or fixed zero as (optimizes correction) by using excel sheet solver. Since this method is confirmed to be effective, simulations were done by using GIS and EPANET water distribution platform. As a result, we accomplished hydraulically balanced WDN. Finally, we have analyzed and simulated hydraulics parameters for the targeted area in Kabul city. Thus, determined successfully the hydraulics state of parameters around the network as a positive result. It is worth mentioning that, Hardy-cross method is being used for approaching more precise optimized correction and consequences concerning hydraulically-balanced and optimal WDN. This method can be done for complex loops WDN as well; the advantage of the method is simple math and self-correction. Managers and engineers who work in the field of water supply this methodology has been recommended as the more advantageous workflow in planning water distribution pattern.