Automated Response Strategy and its Testbed Implementation for Contamination Management in Water Distribution Systems

• Autor: Flores Juárez, Patricio José
• Formato: tesis de maestría
• Fecha de Publicación: 2024
• Institución: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú
• Repositorio: PUCP-Tesis
• Lenguaje: inglés
• OAI Identifier: oai:tesis.pucp.edu.pe:20.500.12404/29474
• Enlace del recurso: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12404/29474
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: Agua potable--Distribución; Programación no lineal; Ingeniería hidráulica--Modelos matemáticos; Agua--Calidad--Control; https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#2.02.03

Access to clean drinking water is crucial worldwide. Throughout history, various methods of distribution have been developed to ensure that people have access to good quality water. Nowadays, there are various risks associated with water contamination, including those caused intentionally and unintentionally. Responding to such incidents typically involves manual decisionmaking processes, emphasizing the need for automated strategies. This thesis introduces a novel approach employing Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming (MINLP) to optimize isolation strategies and flushing methods within water distribution systems (WDSs). By integrating mass conservation and energy conversion equations, coupled with Hazen-Williams equation for pressure drop calculations, the proposed model aims to minimize contamination risks arising from various sources, including natural disasters and cyber-attacks. The methodology undergoes validation and implementation through simulated benchmark scenarios to ensure its effectiveness and precision. Subsequently, real-world contamination scenarios are addressed within a practical testing environment (Testbed). Automation within the Testbed is achieved through the integration of software on a PC with Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs). Moreover, the study presents a comprehensive analysis of valve manipulation to mitigate contamination risks, alongside a comparison against scenarios without intervention. By automating response decisions and operational processes, the methodology showcases promising results in effectively managing contamination incidents within WDSs, thus offering a significant contribution to water system resilience and security.