The use of hydrants for anomaly detection in the water distribution networks. Preliminary laboratory tests.

In recent times, maintaining the integrity of Water Distribution Networks (WDNs) has become paramount due to the complexity of these systems and their aging components. The detection of anomalies, such as water leakages and blockages (e.g., Colombo et al., 2009; Ghazali et al., 2011) is essential to this maintenance. Transient Test-Based Techniques (TTBTs) have emerged as powerful tools in diagnosing these anomalies by monitoring pressure wave patterns (e.g., Meniconi et al. 2021). The main objective of this research is to probe into the methodologies for generating these pressure waves, with a specific focus on hydrants – often the primary access point to WDNs. Hydrants, often linked to the network via branches of variable lengths and reduced diameters, have been previously suggested as potential pressure wave generators. Numerous studies in the literature propose the use of hydrants, in whose downstream end section a control valve is installed with the aim to generate the pressure wave to be analyzed (Taghvaei et al. 2010; Shucksmith et al. 2012; Haghighi et al. 2012; Ghazali et al., 2011; Waqar, et al., 2021). This paper undertakes an in-depth study of the impact of branch lengths on the transient quality produced, which subsequently influences the accuracy of system diagnostics.