Estimation of Area Leakage in Water Distribution Networks: A Real Case Study

Leakage detection in water distribution networks has attracted attention in the water supply industry. To prioritise leak surveys in water distribution networks, a method for estimating area leakage was proposed. This paper shows the results of a real case study to evaluate the proposed method. In two sets of test conditions, the method correctly identified areas where additional leakage of 3.5% of average system flow was simulated by discharge from fire hydrants. By comparing estimated area leakage with and without simulated leakage, the estimation error of area leakage was evaluated to be about 2% of average system flow.