Active Contamination Detection in Water-Distribution Systems

In this paper, we propose a novel methodology for altering the area monitored by water quality sensors in water distribution systems (WDS) when there is suspicion of a contamination event. The proposed active contamination detection (ACD) scheme manipulates WDS actuators, i.e., by closing and opening valves or by changing the set-points at pressure controlled locations to drive flows from specific parts of the network in predetermined paths and enable the sensors to monitor the quality of water from previously unobserved locations. As a consequence, the monitoring coverage of the sensors is increased and some contamination events occurring within those areas can be detected. The objective is to minimize the contamination impact by detecting the contaminant as soon as possible, while also maintaining the hydraulic requirements of the system. Moreover, the methodology facilitates the isolation of the contamination propagation path and its possible source. We demonstrate the ACD scheme on two networks analyze the results and open the discussion for further work in this area.