Hydraulic Model for Drinking Water Networks, Including Household Connections

Abstract

This paper presents a hydraulic simulation model for drinking water networks, including elements that are currently not considered -household connections, spatially variable flowrate distribution pipelines, and the secondary network. This model is determined by solving the equations needed for a conventional model following an indirect procedure for the solution of large equations systems. Household connection performance is considered as dependent of water pressure and the way in which users operate the taps of such intakes. This approach allows a better acquaintance with the drinking water supply networks performance as well as solving problems that demand a more precise hydraulic simulation, such as water quality variations, leaks in networks, and the influence of home water tanks as regulating devices.