Economic Analysis of Pressure Control for Leakage and Pipe Burst Reduction
Publication: Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 143, Issue 12
Abstract
This paper presents an economic analysis of pressure control solutions for leakage and pipe burst reduction. In detail, it explores the operating conditions under which the installation of conventional mechanical pressure reducing valves (PRVs) or remotely real-time controlled (RTC) valves are cost effective compared to a scenario with no control. For a range of system sizes, hydraulic extended period simulations and empirical formulas were used to estimate leakage rates and pipe bursts, respectively, in numerous operational scenarios, including different precontrol leakage levels and demand patterns, the absence of pressure control, and the installation of a PRV or RTC valve. The total cost of the controlled system, including the installation cost of the control device, the flow-dependent operation and maintenance (O&M) cost, and the pipe burst repair cost over the planning horizon, was compared with the water-related O&M and pipe burst repair costs of the uncontrolled system. The results pointed out that no pressure controls are needed if leakage and the variable O&M cost of water are low. When these variables are high, remote RTC is attractive, especially when the demand pattern is peaked and the system is large. For more moderate cost and leakage, a conventional PRV may be better than RTC, especially in small systems and for relatively smooth demand patterns.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to the valve manufacturer T.i.S. Group, and in particular to the Product Manager, Mr. Andrea Boccuzzi, for sharing information about the cost and performance of control valves.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
Volume 143 • Issue 12 • December 2017
Copyright
©2017 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 21, 2017
Accepted: Jun 1, 2017
Published online: Oct 12, 2017
Published in print: Dec 1, 2017
Discussion open until: Mar 12, 2018
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