Abstract
Pressure management in water supply pipe networks using conventional pressure reducing valves (PRVs) results in the dissipated energy being lost. In pursuit of more energy efficient solutions in the sector, researchers are exploring the technological and economic feasibility of replacing PRVs with low-cost hydroelectric converters such as pump-as-turbines (PATs). The present study addresses two problems: (1) is it possible to accurately estimate the energy recovery potential of a PRV site using only the statistics of its recorded operating conditions? and (2) can we define a bound representing minimal average operating conditions at PRVs for which their upgrade to PAT is expected to be economically viable? The first problem was addressed by calculating descriptive statistics of yearly recordings of the operating conditions at 38 real-world PRVs from Ireland and Spain, and carrying out linear least-squares regression analysis in which the statistics were used as predictor variables. The results imply that global plant efficiency can deviate up to 33.33% depending on the level of variation of the operating conditions, and that a realistic value of the expected global plant efficiency is around 0.4277 rather than 0.65 that was used in some of the previous studies. To address the second problem, the study first identifies the range of variability of the operating conditions and total installation costs for 340 hypothetical PRV sites whose average operating points (OPs) were evenly distributed across the investigated domain. The optimal net present value (NPV) was assessed for all hypothetical sites and their variability scenarios. The results suggest that there is a high probability that sites with the gross hydraulic power of 12 kW or larger will be economically viable for the upgrade.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code used during the study were provided by a third party. These are: flow and head recordings at 38 PRV case study valves. Direct request for these materials may be made to the provider as indicated in the Acknowledgments. Some or all data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. These are: MATLAB code used for the analysis in the presented paper, pump characteristic curves booklets used to create PAT database and the availability boundaries (KSB 2018), and pump catalog used to identify the shaft diameter of the PATs from the database (KSB 2020).
Acknowledgments
This investigation was funded in part by the European Regional Development Funds, Interreg Atlantic Area Programme 2014–2020, through the REDAWN project (EAPA 198_2016). The authors would also like to thank Dublin City Council and Seville Water Supply Company (EMASESA) for providing the recordings at their pressure reducing valves.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 148 • Issue 1 • January 2022
Copyright
© 2021 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 27, 2020
Accepted: Aug 20, 2021
Published online: Oct 21, 2021
Published in print: Jan 1, 2022
Discussion open until: Mar 21, 2022
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Business management
- Continuum mechanics
- Dynamics (solid mechanics)
- Economic factors
- Energy efficiency
- Energy engineering
- Engineering fundamentals
- Engineering mechanics
- Equipment and machinery
- Infrastructure
- Pipeline systems
- Pipelines
- Practice and Profession
- Pressure (type)
- Pumps
- Solid mechanics
- Water and water resources
- Water conservation
- Water management
- Water pipelines
- Water policy
- Water pressure
- Water supply
- Water supply systems
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