Detecção de vazamentos em redes de distribuição de água através da aplicação do método iterativo do gradiente hidráulico alternativo (MIGHA)

Abstract

MIGHA is based on the principles of minimizing an objective function based on the differences between the hydraulic gradients observed and calculated through iterative procedures, with the arbitrary initial parameters being adjusted for each new iteration cycle. Calibration can be defined as the process of adjusting the parameters of a model so that the behavior presented by it is similar to the results obtained in the field. This work aims to detect possible leakage points in water distribution networks through the calibration of flows in stretches of networks using observed pressure gauge data. To perform the calibration process, the Alternative Hydraulic Gradient Iterative Method (MIGHA) was applied through computational modeling. For each calibration, several iterations were performed and the best results were determined by applying different objective functions. After obtaining the results of the calibrations, a computational routine was applied to identify all possible sections and nodes of the networks with indications of leaks. An equation was also used to estimate the location of the leak in the identified stretches. For all cases, the influence of the amount of pressure data observed was tested. The results showed that in order to accurately detect the location of the leaks, it is necessary to have observed pressure data for all nodes of the analyzed networks. The computational routine applied to detect possible leaks in the network obtained satisfactory results in tests in which the leak points were located in stretches isolated from any other leak, that is, which did not have nodes in common. For networks in general, even though the routine was not able, in some situations, to estimate the exact points where the leaks are located, it still managed to locate the possible nodes and sections where the leaks are located.