Summary of Equivalence Concept for the Design and Analysis of Water Distribution Systems

Abstract

This is a summary of a paper submitted to the Journal AWWA on May 15, 1967, by the author Wesley Williamson. It breaks down the paper into 15 points, the first 4 of which are listed here: 1. Methods in use at present for the design and analysis of water distribution systems are considered inadequate in many respects and the principal requirements of an ideal method are listed. 2. An alternative theoretical approach is suggested which enables the same model to be used for both approximate and accurate analysis. The concepts involved may be summarized as follows: 3. Any pipe network can be converted to a model network with pipes of a common diameter and roughness factor. 4. The model network can be reduced to a single line of pipe of the same common diameter and roughness factor, so that the head losses between points on the line are exactly equivalent to the head losses between nodes on the network for the same flow and demand conditions, draw‐off at the network nodes being assumed taken from the equivalent points on the line.