Leakage control by optimal valve operation


Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Mühendislik Fakültesi, İnşaat Mühendisliği Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2008

Öğrenci: TÜLAY ÖZKAN

Danışman: NURİ MERZİ

Özet:

The main function of a water distribution system is to supply water in sufficient quantity at appropriate pressure with an acceptable quality and as economically as possible. Water leakage in distribution networks may account from 5% to 50% and even larger of the total water delivered. The amount of leakage in a network is directly related to system service pressure. Therefore, reductions in high service pressures will result in considerable reductions in leakage. A methodology for leakage reduction has been presented in context of a developed computer program, LEAKSOL with two sub-programs. The first code, CODE I, provides solution by using optimization techniques with defined pressure-leakage and pressure-demand relations in order to find optimal flow control valve settings minimizing water leakage. The second one, CODE II, makes hydraulic analysis of the network in order to solve the system and to compute the amount of leakage and the amount of water consumed, by using different combinations of isolation valves generated according to the number of valves given and employing the relationships among pressure, leakage and consumption. Computer program application was performed for different scenarios in a sample network previously used in literature and also in N8-3 pressure zone of Ankara Municipal Water Supply System. Leakage reduction up to 10 % has been achieved in N8-3 pressure zone for eight valves located at the entrances of sub-zones, depending on the defined pressure-leakage relationship.