Towards a Digital Twin for expanding the capabilities of Water Distribution Networks: The case study of the TUBES experimental network

“WDNs face multiple challenges, including the need to satisfy a changing demand while meeting very high water quality and sustainability standards (Agudelo-Vera, et al., 2014; Makropoulos & Savić, 2019). To meet these requirements the water utilities are depending on an increasingly larger amount of sensed data coming from the distribution networks. Acquiring this data, however, does not by itself enable an understanding of the state of the system, let alone an understanding of how the system may respond to changes in demand, the supply or the actuators that control it (Conejos Fuertes et al., 2020; Hutton et al., 2014). To achieve this state of awareness, it is necessary to integrate the sensed data with the hydraulic model and the data acquisition and control system of the network, i.e. to create its DT (Shi et al., 2019).
This work aims at showcasing the steps of creating the hydraulic model of the TUBES experimental network of KWR as part of its DT. A digital model of a research WDN is an extremely powerful tool for solving complex and pressing problems, such as data assimilation (Hutton et al., 2014) and biofilm dynamics (Liu, et al., 2016), without being limited by the operational and regulatory requirements of the water utilities’ networks. That is especially crucial for biofilm research, as microbiological processes are notoriously slow, while also requiring a complete knowledge of history (valve closure, flow patterns, stagnation etc.) to comprehend their long-term behavior. Furthermore, such a tool enables better understanding of the overall system dynamics, which in turn allows better management of the network (Conejos Fuertes et al., 2020). Last, the steps of creating the DT provide necessary considerations for the water utilities about which challenges arise from such a task and how this knowledge can best be transposed to real-world settings.”

(Citation: Glynis, K., Blokker, E.J.M., Savic, D.A., et.al. – Towards a Digital Twin for expanding the capabilities of Water Distribution Networks: The case study of the TUBES experimental network – 19th International Computing & Control for the Water Industry Conference, 7-9 September 2023)