EPANET-C—An Umbrella Simulation Tool for Water Distribution System Quality Analysis

Gopinathan R. Abhijith, Avi Ostfeld

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Water distribution systems' (WDS) quality analysis is a complex exercise due to the many constraints and decision variables, the nonlinearity, the non-smoothness of the head-flow-water quality governing equations, and the inter-complexity of WDS behavior. Classically, the WDS quality models operate the time-series output of the hydraulic models, typically EPANET, as its time-series input. Apart from hydraulic input, the other inputs include contamination characteristics (location, type, and duration) and the equilibrium/kinetic relationships defining the reactions within the WDS domain. EPANET-MSX has now become a familiar tool for WDS quality modeling owing to its collaboration with EPANET. The challenging tasks in applying EPANET-MSX are conceptualizing the exchanges between WDS components and water quality parameters and evolving scientific descriptions of the water chemistry stoichiometric interactions. Besides, the EPANET-MSX application necessitates programming skills for successful implementation from a software engineering viewpoint due to its uneasy user interface. We aim to overcome these challenges of applying EPANET - EPANET-MSX for WDS quality modeling by developing EPANET-C, an umbrella simulation platform for simulating numerous accidental/intentional WDS contamination events. It employs a simple command-line interface and avoids the programming requirements almost entirely. EPANET-C synergizes EPANET and EPANET-MSX by employing the in-built and customizable directories of conceptual and mathematical models abstracting the physical, chemical, and biological reactions and designing the equilibrium/kinetic relationships corresponding to several possible WDS contamination scenarios. Due to its flexibility, EPANET-C can become a de facto standard tool in WDS quality modeling study for both the industry and academia.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationWorld Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2022
Subtitle of host publicationAdaptive Planning and Design in an Age of Risk and Uncertainty - Selected Papers from the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2022
EditorsJohn Pierson, Emily Grubert
Pages981-999
Number of pages19
ISBN (Electronic)9780784484258
DOIs
StatePublished - 2022
EventWorld Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2022: Adaptive Planning and Design in an Age of Risk and Uncertainty - Atlanta, United States
Duration: 5 Jun 20228 Jun 2022

Publication series

NameWorld Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2022: Adaptive Planning and Design in an Age of Risk and Uncertainty - Selected Papers from the World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2022

Conference

ConferenceWorld Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2022: Adaptive Planning and Design in an Age of Risk and Uncertainty
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityAtlanta
Period5/06/228/06/22

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Water Science and Technology
  • Pollution
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law
  • Environmental Engineering

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