Infection delay time analysis for enhancing water networks vulnerabilities to contamination intrusions

In water distribution systems, the prediction of infection spread along the system's components is critical both for minimizing impact on the system population and for real-time response. Delaying the overall spread of an infection from a single or from multiple infection sources can be a very useful tool for handling such contamination scenarios. In this study, a new parameter for Infection Delay Time (IDT) is presented and the methodology utilizing it is presented on simple and complex networks, along with highlighting the IDT advantages and applications for system's design and operation.