Pipe-level Energy Metrics for Energy Assessment in Water Distribution Networks

The present paper introduces new pipe-level energy metrics to evaluate the energy transformations in the individual pipes of water distribution systems. To evaluate these metrics, energy supplied to each pipe is categorized into delivered and required energy, leakage, friction and surplus energy and then compared to each other. The results of the pipe-level energy assessment of the two systems imply that the energy performance of pipes can vary considerably across a distribution system. Also, the proximity of pipes to major components (e.g., pumps and tanks) and pipe flow rates can have a large impact on the energy efficiency of pipes.