Properly allocating the urban water meter readings to the nodes of a water pipe network simulation model

Abstract

This paper presents an alternative approach regarding the spatial allocation of the actual water demand when developing the hydraulic simulation model of an urban water pipe network. This approach can be applied in cases where the customers’ water meters are not georeferenced (usually the case in developing countries), reducing the computational time needed for the model’s calibration increasing, thus the method’s cost effectiveness. The simulation process takes into account the respective demand patterns of the various types of urban water uses, considering the water volume being lost through leaks/breaks occurring in the pipe network, as a competitive use. Each kind of water use is divided in its pressure-dependent part and its volume depended one. Both parts are introduced to the model. The water losses’ diurnal pattern calculation method is also thoroughly presented. Kos Town (Greece) water pipe network is used to demonstrate the entire process. To prove its effectiveness, the results of the new proposed method were compared to Voronoi diagrams method’s results and to field measurements.