In Activity 1, we try to answer the questions how, when and where do pipes fail in a network. Accordingly, the consideration of internal and external factors affecting a pipe is central to the ability to predict pipe failure. One important factor that can contribute to pipe failure is water pressure, including pressure transients. These are dynamic short term fluctuations in water pressure, often lasting less than one second. As part of the development of pipe failure prediction models, it is important to examine the likely development of pressure transients in local networks. Furthermore, any calibration of failure models developed would require knowledge of likely transient pressures on top of static pressure for rational analyses. To facilitate this, a static and transient hydraulic model of a selected network is to be developed and calibrated through field monitoring of transient events. The specific objectives of this component of Activity 1 research can be listed as to:
- Identify a section of network for analysis which has been reported to have experienced pressure transient events;
- Undertake EPS (Extended Period Simulation) to obtain appropriate boundary, or limiting, conditions for the pressure transient modelling for the identified network section;
- Develop the pressure transient model and select locations for monitoring;
- Monitor selected locations in the pipe network to measure pressure transients; and
- Calibrate the pressure transient model and undertake modelling of pressure transient development under various field scenarios.
After calibrating the hydraulic model, the failure prediction models developed will be used to analyse failures within the network against the pressure data, combined with the inspection data, to understand the impact of pressure transients on pipes under certain conditions. Therefore, it is expected that the calibrated failure prediction models developed may be used more reliably with the research on improved pipe condition assessment and corrosion prediction that will be undertaken in Activities 2 and 3 respectively.