Introduction to Water

Distribution System Analysis

CE 572 Urban Water Systems Analysis
Larry A. Roesner, Ph.D., P.E.
Fall 2008

History of Water Distribution

System Analysis
1936: Hardy Cross steady state iterative algorithm
solvable with slide rule

1960s: Computerized Hardy Cross Models

Woods KYPIPE (early 1970s)

Late 1970s: Optimization algorithms (Alperovits and
Shamir) and large system simulation capability
(1,000s of pipes)
1990s: Transient analysis on complex systems
(water hammer)
1993: EPANet Lew Rossman
1996: H20Net MWH Soft, Inc (EPANet with GUIs
and CAD interface)

Definitions

water distribution system

pipes, pumps, valves, and tanks
junction nodes
steady state
extended period simulation (EPS)
dynamic (unsteady) water quality modeling
transient analysis

Modeling Philosophy
System analysis to develop or improve a
water distribution system taking into account:

Cost
Time
Safety
Ease of modification
Operation
Aid to communication

The dilemma: simplicity vs. accuracy

Model Development

Formulation (conceptual analysis)

Calibration
Verification, Validation, Confirmation
Refinement

Problems of Modeling

Complexity of the real system

Calibration and data
Sensitivity
Numerical algorithms and methods
Adaptation of the model to the real
system
Nesting of submodels

Model Formulation

Basic Terms in the Energy

Equation

Solution of the Energy Equation

Problem

Solutions

H2ONET Solution

EPANET
http://
www.epa.gov/nrmrl/wswrd/dw/epane
t.html#toolkit

RD 4 EPANET Introduction
Access the EPANET Webpage and
read the introductory material about the
model
Download EPANET from the Web or
access it from ENS Engineering
Applications
Browse the EN2manual
Run the Tutorial
Due by Tuesday Sept 23rd