Publication Summary
A failure or maintenance problem within a water supply network has potential to cause significant disruption to large numbers of people depending on the structure of the network, the status of valves and the ability to implement an alternative supply. In order for a water utility company to respond effectively to failure events and to strategically plan maintenance and investment in the network it is essential to understand the network structure and both the risk and impact of an interruption. This paper describes the VASTNet project, a numerical analysis approach based on Complex Network Theory that quantifies connectivity and risk in a water distribution network. The paper focuses on segment analysis, and through application to real UK network data demonstrates that areas of low resilience can be easily identified at regional and local level and that re-valving high risk segments may be a cost-effective method of improving network resilience.
CAER Authors
Prof. Catherine Noakes
University of Leeds - Professor of Environmental Engineering for Buildings