2025/05/21 by Ashetu Dame Tedese, Mitthan Lal Kansal · 1 voice
Engineering · #Water Systems and Optimization #Water resources management and optimization
paper · doi:10.2166/hydro.2025.018
openalex publication_date 2025/05/21 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27
ABSTRACT Water distribution networks (WDNs) ensure safe and adequate water, requiring efficient hydraulic performance and water quality management. This study examines challenges in maintaining residual chlorine levels and hydraulic efficiency in IIT Roorkee's WDN. Chlorine dosing at seven overhead tanks (OHTs) at 0.5 mg/L over 24 h (1.775 kg/day) fails to sustain residual chlorine above 0.2 mg/L, leading to microbiological regrowth. A methodology integrating mixed-integer linear programming and WaterGEMS modeling was developed to optimize booster chlorination (BC) stations. Water demand was allocated using the Thiessen polygon method, and the life-cycle cost (LCC) of BC stations was evaluated using the present worth (PW) method. From 93 junctions, eight critical ones were identified. Four optimally placed BC stations (BC1–BC4) at links P-124, P-67, P-9, and P-119, with a chlorine dosage of 1 mg/L, reduced total chlorine mass to 3.075 kg/year and LCC to INR 101.90 million over 30 years while maintaining residual chlorine above 0.2 mg/L. Model calibration and validation yielded R² values of 0.86 (chlorine) and 0.96 (pressure). Pressure analysis revealed suboptimal pressures at 16.13% of junctions during peak demand. This study highlights existing inefficiencies and demonstrates the benefits of optimized booster chlorination.