Real-time analysis and operation of drinking water networks (DWN) are key to improving water quality throughout the network, reducing operational cost, and improving emergency event response. Network calibration, (i.e., pump head and energy curve calibration, valve calibration, valve closure analysis etc.) is an essential first step towards the development of a digital twin and real-time operational analysis. A typical drinking water network contains a large number of control valves, many of which are often required to be manually closed to restrict or redirect flows (e.g., to perform maintenance operations on parts of the network). Some of these closed valves may remain closed (often unintentionally) without proper records and/or incorporation in a model. Such closed valves can become a major source of energy dissipation in the system and can potentially create water quality issues. Hillsborough Water Resources Division (HWRD) is adopting a state-of-the-art digital twin platform capable of real-time monitoring and analysis. As part of the development of the real-time network model, calibration steps were taken to improve model performance, and a valve closure analysis was performed when the real-time data indicated unusual energy loss in the system that could not be explained using a model without closed valves. The valve closure analysis was performed using a greedy search method utilizing real-time pressure data and network state information. Field exploration of the network performed by HWRD discovered some of the actual closed valves very close to what was indicated by the valve closure analysis.
