Volume 14 Issue 2 November - January
2019
Research Paper
Rahul R. Biswas*
Senior Planning Engineer,
Christchurch City Council, Christchurch, New Zealand.
Biswas, R. R. (2019). Hydraulic
Modelling As a Decision Making Tool to Test a Water Supply Network Recovery
Strategy after a Natural Disaster. i-manager’s Journal on Future
Engineering and Technology , 14 (2), 1-11.https://doi.org/10.26634/jfet.14.2.14768
Abstract
Hydraulic modelling
is considered as an important tool in the planning and operational decision for
a water supply network. Technological advances made a number of evolutions in
this field and real time operational modelling is a recent addition. Hydraulic
modelling tools have been used extensively for earthquake recovery and what/if
investigations in the post-earthquake Christchurch. A number of rebuild
strategies have been modelled as part of postearthquake recovery work. Rezoning
(smaller pressure zones reduced pressure) of water supply network is proposed
to make the network less vulnerable to earthquakes. Rezoned water network was
tested using sophisticated hydraulic modelling tools (with real time automatic
control systems) and results are reported in this paper. A pilot field study
was conducted on future rezoned network to validate the findings of hydraulic
modelling study and the findings are also summarised in this article. The field
study pointed out a number of low pressure related issues that the hydraulic
modelling tools were unable to predict properly. As the model was calibrated
using flow and pressure data collected from trunk main infrastructure, it was
unable to predict pressure correctly at individual boundaries. A real time
hydraulic modelling tool can be a better option for earthquake damage
assessments in real time and also to test earthquake vulnerability of the
proposed water network. Real time modelling will potentially help to reduce
surprises or unusual findings during real time data collections and
field-studies.
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