Hydraulic Analysis and Cost Optimization of Water Network by Using the EPANET Software

Abstract

The large water network leads to a large set of
nonlinear equations that need to be solved by either by
Hard Darcy or Newton Raphson methods. Those two
methods need a large code to analyze and simulate the
network which takes large time. EPANET software can do a
hydraulic analysis of the water network. In addition, the
software can run with time duration which means that the
result can be obtained as function in time. However, writing
a code gives the result in the steady state manner because
the Bernoulli’s equation was derived under the assumption
of steady state. In this paper, a hydraulic analysis of water
network of town of about 7000 population under an area of
0.6 km
2
and 2125 m
3
/day water demand is done by getting
the nodal pressure, pipe discharge, and total head at the
significant time hour of the day by using the EPANET
software. Also, an optimization is done to minimize the
energy cost of the electricity by the investigation of what
minimum level that the tank discharge water without using
a pump. Therefore, nine hours make the network operate by
gravity main and 15 hours by pumping main. That can be
done only by EPANET software result table that show how
many hours that can make the pump off instead of using it
the whole day. The energy cost minimized by 38 %.