TY - JOUR
T1 - Extending EPANET hydraulic solver capacity with rigid water column global gradient algorithm
AU - Melih Koşucu, Mehmet
AU - Albay, Enes
AU - Cüneyd Demirel, Mehmet
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 International Association for Hydro-environment Engineering and Research, Asia Pacific Division
PY - 2022/5
Y1 - 2022/5
N2 - EPANET is one of the most commonly used open-source programs in hydraulic modelling water distribution networks (WDNs), based on steady-state and extended period simulation approaches. These approaches effectively estimate flow capacity and average pressures in networks; however, EPANET is not yet fully effective in modelling incompressible unsteady flows in WDNs. In this study, the hydraulic solver capacity of EPANET 3 is extended with the Rigid Water Column Global Gradient Algorithm (RWC-GGA) to model incompressible unsteady flow hydraulics in WDNs. Moreover, we incorporated dynamically more accurate valve expressions than the existing ones in the default EPANET code and introduced a new global convergence algorithm, Convergence Tracking Control Method (CTCM), in the solver code. The RWC-GGA, CTCM, and valve expressions are tested and validated in three different WDNs varying from simple to sophisticated set-ups. The results show that incompressible unsteady flows can be modelled with RWC-CGA and dynamic valve representations. Finally, the convergence problem due to the valve motion and the pressure-dependent algorithm (PDA) is solved by the implemented global convergence algorithm, i.e. CTCM.
AB - EPANET is one of the most commonly used open-source programs in hydraulic modelling water distribution networks (WDNs), based on steady-state and extended period simulation approaches. These approaches effectively estimate flow capacity and average pressures in networks; however, EPANET is not yet fully effective in modelling incompressible unsteady flows in WDNs. In this study, the hydraulic solver capacity of EPANET 3 is extended with the Rigid Water Column Global Gradient Algorithm (RWC-GGA) to model incompressible unsteady flow hydraulics in WDNs. Moreover, we incorporated dynamically more accurate valve expressions than the existing ones in the default EPANET code and introduced a new global convergence algorithm, Convergence Tracking Control Method (CTCM), in the solver code. The RWC-GGA, CTCM, and valve expressions are tested and validated in three different WDNs varying from simple to sophisticated set-ups. The results show that incompressible unsteady flows can be modelled with RWC-CGA and dynamic valve representations. Finally, the convergence problem due to the valve motion and the pressure-dependent algorithm (PDA) is solved by the implemented global convergence algorithm, i.e. CTCM.
KW - CTCM
KW - EPANET
KW - Hydraulic Modeling
KW - Rigid Water Column
KW - Water Distribution Networks
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85128316882&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jher.2022.04.002
DO - 10.1016/j.jher.2022.04.002
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85128316882
SN - 1570-6443
VL - 42
SP - 31
EP - 43
JO - Journal of Hydro-Environment Research
JF - Journal of Hydro-Environment Research
ER -