Optimization of Pressure Management in Water Distribution Systems Based on Pressure-Reducing Valve Control: Evaluation and Case Study

Yuan Tian (), Jingliang Gao (), Jianxun Chen, Junshen Xie, Qidong Que, Rodger Millar Munthali and Tiantian Zhang
Additional contact information
Yuan Tian: School of Astronautics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
Jingliang Gao: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
Jianxun Chen: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
Junshen Xie: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
Qidong Que: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
Rodger Millar Munthali: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China
Tiantian Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, School of Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150090, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 14, 1-21

Abstract: Leakage in water distribution systems (WDS) is a major problem that results in substantial resource wastage. Pressure management, which is based on optimized control strategies using pressure-reducing valve installation, is considered one of the most effective methods for controlling network leakage and can be broadly classified into varied types, depending on the different control strategies. When facing diverse operational conditions in actual engineering, selecting the most suitable optimization strategy for the specific water supply network can greatly control leakage and efficiently utilize water resources. This article employs a greedy algorithm to iteratively determine the control sequence for pressure-reducing valves (PRVs), with the objective of minimizing surplus pressure. Subsequently, it proposed five evaluation indicators, namely, daily flow, daily leakage, pressure imbalance indicator, median daily pressure at nodes, and water age, which are used to evaluate and compare pressure management strategies in two sample networks. Finally, a suitable control strategy was successfully developed and implemented for an actual WDS of Y city in southern China, resulting in significant achievements. In conclusion, this paper embodies our attempt and contemplation in formulating pressure management strategies under diverse operating conditions in WDS, with the objective of providing guidance for practical engineering applications.

Keywords: water distribution system; pressure management; leakage control techniques; greedy algorithm; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/14/11086/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/14/11086/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:14:p:11086-:d:1195056

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().