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Designer

Cost-effective design and rehabilitation of water supply and distribution systems is a problem of great importance in engineering practice, because these systems generally constitute the largest expenditure (more than 80 percent of capital costs) for nearly all water utilities. The American Water Works Association Research Foundation estimated that there is 880,000 miles of underground distribution piping in the US with a replacement value of $348 billion. Many of these systems are approaching 100 years old with an estimate 26 percent of their distribution pipes being unlined cast iron and steel in poor condition. Aging water distribution systems gradually deteriorate and become increasingly vulnerable to structural failures. They experience excessive leaks, drop in carrying capacity, poor water quality, and service disruptions. As the demand for water and public expectation for improved quality services increase, many of these systems are going to have to be upgraded and modified at great expense in order to continue to provide reliable systems to cope with sustained growth and expansion. Rehabilitation, replacement, and expansion of water distribution networks are sound remedial alternatives but can necessitate very large expenditure which can often exceed available funds. Good engineering decisions based on sound analysis procedures will be required if the alterations and improvements to these systems are to be effective and economical.

Today, many water utilities utilize hydraulic network simulation models to plan improvements and design better systems. These improvements are normally achieved through the addition of new pipes, pumps, and storage facilities, as well as paralleling, replacing, repairing, cleaning, or lining some of the existing pipes. Current practice involves a tedious trial-and-evaluation procedure that seldom leads to the most effective or most economical solutions for upgrading pipe networks. This requires using the hydraulic network simulation model to evaluate the hydraulic performance of the existing water distribution system with different design alternatives (network modifications) under a range of loading conditions. The design that meets the target hydraulic criteria for the lowest cost is then selected from among the alternative designs. However, given the vast number of combinations of possible pipe network enhancements, it is unlikely that even the most experienced engineer will be able to determine the least-cost improvement alternative. This process is also not able to ensure that the final network design could perform adequately under all possible loading conditions. The result of using the traditional trial-and-evaluation approach is often inefficient performance at greater cost.

Designer offers a very sophisticated network optimization capability representing a major step forward for water distribution system modeling. With this capability, you can rapidly formulate and assess various reliable and cost-effective improvement solutions, which previously required a tedious trial-and-error approach or were not practical to even attempt. The program applies highly advanced optimization techniques based on genetic algorithms (with superior elitist and global control strategies) to help you identify the best combination of network improvements that meet target water system performance criteria at minimum cost. Performance criteria include minimum junction node pressures and maximum velocities and hydraulic slopes for pipes, for any range of demand loading and operating conditions. You can now conceive and evaluate effective and economical design, rehabilitation and enhancement alternatives for upgrading and modifying your existing water distribution piping systems for improved performance.

An invaluable and complete master planning and decision support tool, Designer lets you quickly determine cost-effective rehabilitation (cleaning and lining), replacement, strengthening, and expansion options as well as the construction of new pumping and storage facilities to reliably supply projected demands at adequate levels of service. All aspects of the water distribution system can be considered within the optimization, including pipes, pumps, and storage tanks. You now have the tool to help you produce the best possible design and improvement alternatives with a minimum effort and at significant cost-savings. Such capabilities will greatly assist you in planning and designing a sound system and in optimizing Capital Improvement Program, all in an extremely easy-to-use and fully interactive graphical environment.

Innovyze is happy to bring you the state-of-the-art in pipe network optimization technology to help you plan, design, build, operate, and sustain safer and more reliable drinking water supply and distribution infrastructures.

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