Author(s): Federico Dell’Orfano; Vincenzo Esposito; Paola Gualtieri; Guelfo Pulci Doria
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: Water network management; Water flow measurement; Unmeasured water volume delivered; Malfunctioning water meters
Abstract: In a water network, the evaluation of the water balance between volumes supplied to the water system and delivered to the users is of main importance for water losses control, as well as detailed in international regulations. In the water balance the most sensitive parameter is the delivered water volume. Generally, two problems can arise in its evaluation: the different time lags measurements data sets have different time lags and the impossibility of collecting some data, due to technical and/or administrative faults. A methodology is proposed to obtain, referring to one or more communities and to one or more years of observation, the true water volumes delivered to users starting from the measured water volumes that are affected by the cited measurement errors or lacks. Moreover the ratio RM between actually measured and truly delivered water volumes is proposed as an index of the efficiency of the water network management: this ratio should be in ordinary conditions equal to 1 each year or at least its mean over many years and/or many communities should approach unity. An experimental implementation of the model is carried out, applying it to data sets of delivered water volumes relative to 5 water networks managed by Alto Calore Company, located in Campania Region (Italy), over 11 years. For the study case, RM mean value is evaluated to be worth 0. 8025, showing the presence of unmeasured delivered water volumes. Moreover, a check is performed to be sure that such mean value cannot be justified by statistical effects A deepening of the problem shows that technical and/or administrative faults which causes discrepancy in RM mean value are: never monitored and/or malfunctioning water meters. Moreover, to evaluate the effects on RM mean value of these two causes, two specific models are proposed and applied to the study case. The final result is the confirm that the two causes can explain the gap between 0. 8025 and 1, showing that the causes of discrepancy have been correctly focused and calculated. Finally, the tested methodology is applied to 130 water networks. In conclusion, the RM ratio is a useful index to quickly point out administrative and/or technical faults as not monitored and/or malfunctioning water meters.
Year: 2013