| Product(s): | WaterSight |
| Version(s): | 10.00. |
| Area: | Documentation |
Background
How can WaterSight be effectively used to reduce awareness times for burst events, understand the volume lost and the burst flow, and simulate the impacts in the network (valves that need to be close, customers affected, etc)? Please take a look at the below steps.
Step 1. Configuring flow alert for zones
In many cases it is more likely that a burst will cause a more significant increase in the flow than a significant decrease in the pressure, as several systems are running with oversized pipes. Therefore configuring an alert for flow increase and assign it to a zone can be one of the best ways to track and get notified by a burst in the system.
Before configuring a flow alert, we need to make sure all zones are correctly configured. For more details on how to configure zones, please click here.
Figure 1. Zones configuration
After having the zones correctly defined with all inflows and outflows, the next step is to create alerts for all the zones in the system based on a flow increase. The most adequate alerts are the ones based on the type pattern. The user should define three types of bursts alerts:
- Large bursts alerts (small duration, bigger threshold),
- Medium bursts alerts (medium duration, medium threshold)
- Small bursts/ leaks alerts (long duration, very small threshold).
For more information about how to configure bursts alerts and some tips, please take a look at this article.
Figure 2. Example of bursts alerts configurations.
Step 2. Active Events
Alerts are automatically generated based on the triggers defined by the user and get automatically available in the Active Events menu. Alerts are listed in a table with mini-graphs and are also automatically ordered by date, that means that most recent events will always appear first (in case they are not closed). For more information about active events, please click here.
Figure 3. List of Active events
In case a pipe burst has just occurred or is still occurring (and if step 1 was done) the user should be able to quickly identify it by acceding to the active event list.
From here the user can have a better understanding of the event including volume lost and the burst flow (that correspond to the max.value field). It is also important to correctly manage the event, namely:
- Update status (once the burst is repaired the status should be updated to closed)
- Change category to burst or leak
- Make some comments
Note: It is also possible to have a more detailed view of the event, by clicking on the pencil icon located on the right side of the mini graph.
Figure 5. Alert detail view, including volume lost and max. value
Step 3. Run Operational Response – Pipe Break
Besides taking a detailed look at the burst event, understand the volume lost and the burst flow, the user can also use the hydraulic model capabilities to simulate the impact in the network of these events.
Inside the Operational Response menu, the user can quickly simulate a pipe break event and immediately understand which valves need to be close to isolate the pipes and which customers are affected (no water) by that closure.
Figure 6. Simulating the impact of a pipe break event in the network.
It is also possible to run an extended period simulation, set a burst flow value (make sure to use the max value that was calculated by WaterSight) and duration, and understand all the impacts in the network in the different moments:
- before the burst event started
- After the burst event started and before valves were closed
- During the period valves were closed
- After the service was reestablished
Results available include customers without service, low pressure customers, critical customers affected, changes in pressures, flows and velocities in the network, amongst other hydraulic results.
For more information about WaterSight, please go to OpenFlows WaterSight TechNotes and FAQ's.