Real-time modeling of drinking water distribution systems has the potential to provide several benefits for water utilities by improving energy management, water quality maintenance, and response activities. While most utilities have a network model for planning purposes, these models are "static" and not amenable for making real-time decisions. Thus, there is a critical need to develop a real-time modeling framework that can estimate and forecast the unobserved demands that drive network dynamics.
The objective of this project is to develop a composite demand-hydraulic model - one that couples a demand model with a network hydraulic solver - capable of being updated in real-time using observed hydraulic information. The central hypothesis is that the observed hydraulic data commonly collected via utility computer systems can be used to estimate the expected values and uncertainty of a structured demand model that characterizes the temporal and spatial patterns of consumptive demands. The rationale for developing the real-time composite demand-hydraulic model is to provide a framework to inform real-time analytics and decision support associated with our drinking water distribution systems. Collectively, these outcomes will produce a holistic approach for real-time demand estimation and forecasting through the development of the composite demand-hydraulic model and monitoring placement algorithm. The long-term positive impacts of this project will result from the ability provide real-time demand estimates and forecasts that will lead to real-time analysis and decision support tools such as pump scheduling to minimize energy usage, rapid main break detection, and spread forecasting of contamination events to better identify response and mitigation activities. The PIs will strengthen the link between academic research and industrial entrepreneurship to provide opportunities to the students through: 1) providing industrial research opportunities to both graduate and undergraduate students to extend our research and development activities; 2) developing and distributing our software through open-source activities to further enhance the opportunities within our field; and, 3) introducing a broader range of students to technology transfer and the opportunities and challenges associated with industrial research.
