Segment-Based Assessment of Consequences of Failure on Water Distribution Systems

This paper presents an assessment methodology that considers the impact of actual valve locations in a water distribution system in creating discrete isolated groups of pipes or segments when evaluating the performance of the network under a failure condition. The layout of the distribution network used as a case study and the location of the isolation valves are based on a survey of the real system instead of being artificially generated. In addition to evaluating the performance of the system under typical conditions with metrics based on loss of connectivity and the reduction in demand satisfaction, the assessment also includes a consideration for fire flow requirements that has not been widely used in combination with a segment-based reliability assessment.