Experimental analysis for the losses assessment in water distribution systems

Abstract

[EN] Water leaks assessment is a crucial aspect for the management of the water distribution systems. One strategy commonly used for the leakage reduction is to control the network pressure. Many studies have been dedicated to both the definition of the law between the leaks flow rate and the network pressure and the parameters that influencing the phenomenon. This paper presents the preliminary results of an experimental research on the water leaks evaluation conducted at the Laboratory of Hydraulics and Maritime Construction at the Università Politecnica delle Marche in Ancona, Italy. The tests were carried out varying the hydraulic operating conditions and simulating leakages from holes with different shape and size. Furthermore, different pipe materials were considered. The first results of the laboratory experiments show that the leakage from the hole increases as the pressure in the pipeline increases. The coefficients of the mathematical law for the leakage evaluation in function of the pressure were estimated. The results were compared with similar studies described in the literature.