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abstract 253

A DMA DESIGN FOR “NAPOLI EST” WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

Author(s): Maurizio Giugni, Nicola Fontana, Davide Portolano, Davide Romanelli
Maurizio Giugni Department of Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering G. Ippolito, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio 21, 80125 Naples, Italy, phone: +39 081 7683443; fax: +39 081 5938936, e-mail: giugni@unina.it Nicola Fontana Department

Keyword(s): Water networks, water systems management, District Meter Areas (DMA) design, pressure patterns, physical leaks, water losses reduction

Article:

Poster:

Session: Poster session 4

AbstractThe District Meter

Areas (DMA) design is an innovative methodology of water networks management, based on the pressure patterns

control and on the water flows monitoring, in order to reduce water losses and to optimize the water systems

management. A District Meter Area is an area supplied from few water inputs, into which discharges can be easily

measured to determine leaks. So, the DMA design represent an alternative to the traditional approach based on

heavy looped distribution network.
In the present paper the DMA design of the “Napoli Est” water distribution

system (approximately 70.000 customers), performed with the support of the Water Agency ARIN S.p.A. (Azienda

Risorse Idriche Napoli), is discussed.
After analysis of authorized consumption, by means of a monitoring

campaign of water fluxes over the area, the system water balance was performed, showing significant water losses,

as a consequence of high pressure patterns. This situation was confirmed by the high number of maintenance

operations performed in the area during the last years. In order to characterize the piezometric head on the network,

ARIN S.p.A. supplied to the installation of six pressure transducers in the most vulnerable areas. The water level in

the reservoir was also measured in order to estimate its influence on the network pressure head.
Hydraulic

simulations were carried out with the EPANET software version 2.0 (Rossman, 2000) applied to a network layout

resulted from the system “skeletonization” (Hamberg e Shamir, 1988), achieved by eliminating out of order pipes,

integrating pipelines of same diameter and roughness, replacing dead-end branches and small networks supplied by a

single junction with an equivalent flow.
After the skeletonizated network was calibrated, several hypothesis of

designing and implementing DMA to reduce physical losses were performed, providing adequate operating pressure

of the system and performing many numerical simulations to guarantee adequate head pressure especially for peak

hours demand, break of transmission mains and fire hydrant service. A chlorine residuals analysis was also effected,

by simulating the transport and decay of chlorine through the network.
Six District Meter Areas, therefore, were

designed, and the corresponding hydraulic and water quality investigations and simulations were carried out. A

remarkable water saving was achieved, approximately equal to 34% of the physical losses, corresponding to 16% of

system input volume.
Actually ARIN S.p.A. is implementing and monitoring the six District Meter Areas planned.

A preliminary comparison of numerical simulations with experimental measures showed satisfactory results.

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A DMA DESIGN FOR “NAPOLI EST” WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM