AWWA IMTECH59638

The development of a new network-modelling methodology to analyze the contamination of a water distribution system on the basis of incomplete information, during a crisis when time is critical, is described in this paper. Currently, traditional network models and network solvers have substantial data requirements, including full knowledge of nodal demands and hydraulic characteristics of all components (pipes, pumps, etc.). This knowledge, especially the realtime demands, is essentially unavailable in real-time during a crisis and, consequently, there exists a gap between real-time response and the hydraulic analysis of the water distribution network. The TIme-Critical Network (TICN) modelling approach bridges this gap, requiring few assumptions about the hydraulic characteristics of the network, or knowledge of the demands. The approach uses limited real-time data, possibly available on-line from the SCADA system, to make rapid assessments of current and future contaminant spread, or identification of likely sources of the contamination. The developed paradigm is applied to an example of a water distribution network. Includes 7 references, tables, figures.