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Chapter 3.2

WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

Water is the driver of Nature.

Leonardo da Vinci
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Water distribution systems

• Distribution systems --- network of pipes
that transport water from treatment plant to
consumer’s taps.

• Distribution system components:

 Pipe lines – mains, sub-mains, branches/
laterals, service connections.
 Flow control and measurement devices –
Valves, hydrants, meters, services
 Storage reservoirs – ground and elevated
tanks
 Pump stations – civil and electro-mechanical
works, pumps
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ater supply -Distribution syste

Water distribution systems

A good distribution system should :
• Maintain degree of water purity, i.e. be water
tight;
• Provide sufficient pressure at consumer’s tap;
• Ensure availability of ample water for all
purposes;
• Offer easy and economical maintenance;
• Supply sufficient amount of water during
emergency periods, such as fire breakouts;
• Be able to supply water even during breakdown
of a pipeline;
• Not cause any obstruction to the traffic during
repair and maintenance.
• Be cheap with least capital construction cost
• Safe design. i.e. avoid failure by bursting of
pipes.
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Methods of Distribution
Flow of water in the distribution system is based
on:
 the level of the source of water and the city,
 topography of the area,
 Method of supply of water
 Continuous supply system and
 Intermittent supply system.

The three methods of distribution are:

1. Gravitational system,
2. Pumping without storage system, and
3. Dual system
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Methods of Distribution

Gravity
System
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Methods of Distribution

Pumping without storage

system
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Methods of Distribution

Dual system
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Layout of Distribution System
Distribution pipes:
– Usually follow the road layout
– Generally laid on one side of the road
• ~ 2m below the footpaths and
• ~2 to 3 m away from sewer pipes

The four types of distribution system layouts

are:
– Dead-end/branch/tree system,
– Grid iron/reticulation/interlaced system,
– Ring system/circular system, and
– Radial system.
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Dead-end/Branch system
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Dead-end/Branch system
Advantages:
– The distribution network design is simple,
– Lesser number of cut-off valves,
– Shorter pipe lengths are needed,
– Easier laying of pipes,
– Cheap and simple to extend or expand.
– Good for older towns with no planned roads.

Disadvantages:
– Pipe damage or repair works interrupt a
considerable area,
– Numerous dead ends prevent free circulation of
water,
– limited supplies for fire fighting.
– Accumulation of sediment at dead end.
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Laterals
Grid Iron system
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Grid Iron system

Advantages:
– The discharge by each pipe, friction loss and the size
of the pipe reduced,
– Water is available at each point with minimum head
loss.
– very small area will be affected during repairs,
– continuous water circulation,
– water can be diverted towards the hydrant from
various directions during fire outbreak.
– Good for well planned cities
Disadvantages:
– Requires more length of pipe, & larger number of
valves
– High cost of construction,
– Difficult and expensive design.
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Ring system
Main
Feeder main

Sub main
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Ring system
• A closed circular or rectangular ring is formed by
laying feeder mains around the distributing area,
• Very suitable for towns/cities with well planned
roads,
• Every point in the system receives water from
two directions
• Best distribution layout if the city is well planned,
• Offers easier system design
• But requires large number of valves and more
length of pipe,
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Radial System
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Radial System
• Suitable for a city/town having a system of radial
roads emerging from different centers,

• Water is taken from the water mains, and pumped

into the distribution reservoirs placed at different
centers,

• Radial pipelines are laid by placing the distribution

reservoirs at the centers,

• Ensures high pressure and efficient water

distribution,

• Easier calculation for estimation of pipe size.

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Reservoirs and Tanks

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Storage Tanks
Nearly all water supply systems include storage
facility.
Storage tanks can be used to:
 cover peaks in demand
 smooth out variations in supply
 provide water security in case of supply
interruptions or disaster
 save your home from fire
 enable a smaller pipe to serve for a distant
source
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Storage Tanks
 Total storage capacity of a storage tank is
the summation of:
 Balancing storage
 Break-down storage and
 Fire storage

 Based on their elevation relative to the

ground, storage tank can be grouped into:
1. Surface tank
2. Elevated tank
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Surface Tanks
 Are circular or rectangular tanks, constructed at
ground level.

 In general they are constructed at high points in

the city.

 If a city has more than one high point more than

one reservoir may be provided.

 Usually service reservoirs are two in number or

may have two compartments if it is single for
reasons of operation of the other when one is in
repair.
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Elevated Tanks
could be rectangular, circular or elliptical
erected at a suitable elevation above the ground
level and supported on towers.
They are constructed when the pressure
requirement necessitate considerable elevation
above the ground.
They are adopted in general for towns with flat
topography and where there is no pronounced
higher point.
Water towers made of RC are preferred to steel-to-
steel tanks, because they are cheaper, don’t
corrode and require less maintenance.
Elevated tanks are very costly and hence not
designed for capacities of more than 6 to 8 hours of
the average daily supply of the city.
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Location of storage tanks

 Should be located at optimum elevation to maintain

adequate pressure in the distribution system.

 With respect to the position of the pumping station

and the distribution area, the tanks may be located
in two different ways, i.e.,
 They can be placed between the two; and
 They can be placed at the farther end of the area
served.
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Location of storage tank
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Ground Reservoir
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Storage
Water Towers - Small Volume
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Storage
Water Towers - Large Volume
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Design of distribution system

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Design of distribution system

• Water municipality systems consist of many
junctions or nodes with different demands or loads.

• Object for designing a system is to deliver flow to

these junctions at some design pressure with the
lowest cost.

• Nowadays, softwares make the design of these

systems easier than in the past; however, it’s
important to understand what the softwares are
doing.
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Design of distribution system

Design Procedures:

1. Surveys and Maps

• The land lying between the source of water supply
and the distribution area is surveyed for fixing up
the alignment of main line.

• The distribution area is also completely surveyed.

– Detailed map of the town (distribution
area)/Master plan– positions of roads, streets,
lanes, commercial places, industrial area, etc.
– Topographical map of the area – to locate the
high and low areas
– Cross-sections of the streets, lanes, etc. –
showing positions of existing underground
service lines such as electric and telephone lines,
sewer lines, existing water supply lines, etc
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Design of distribution system

Design Procedures:

2. Tentative layout:

• A tentative layout of the distribution lines is marked

on the base map.

– Mark the positions of treatment plant, distribution

mains, distribution and balancing reservoirs, valves
and hydrants, etc.

– Compute and mark the density of the population

(i.e. average no. of persons per ha area).
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Design of distribution system

Design Procedures:

3. Discharge in pipe lines:

• The demand at each junction and hence the
discharge carried by each pipe line is computed
based on:

– density of the population,

– type of distribution district (i.e. residential,
commercial, etc.)
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Design of distribution system

Design Procedures:

4. Calculation of pipe diameters:

• The size of distribution pipes are so fixed that the min.

necessary pressure head is maintained at all points.

• For known design discharges, the pipe diameters are

assumed in such a way that the velocities of flow in
pipes remain between 0.6 to 2m/sec.

• Normally, smaller velocity is assumed for pipes of

smaller diameter and large velocity for pipes of larger
diameter
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Design of distribution system

Design Considerations:
• Design flow:
Peak hour demand or maximum day demand + Fire
demand, whichever is greater.

• Minimum main sizes:

generally 150mm;
small communities = 50-75mm

• Velocity: typical values –

minimum = 0.6-1m/s
maximum = 2m/s
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Design of distribution system

Design Considerations:
• Pressure:
The effective head should be maintained to give higher
flows and serve upper storey consumers [min. ~14m].

Choice of design pressures to be maintained in the

distribution pipes depends on cost & convenience.

The greater the design pressure the costlier it will be

but it will be convenient to the consumers.

Pressure zoning is desirable and economical in hilly

areas of wide variations in elevations of houses,

Deign controlling factors are topography and friction

head loss.
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Design of distribution system

ater supply -Distribution syste

Design of distribution system

Design Considerations:

• Size of distribution pipes:

Pipe diameter is determined on the basis of least
cost design.

Use larger pipe for the trunk mains & smaller for
local mains.
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Design of distribution system

• Network Analysis…the determination of discharges
and head losses in each pipeline, and pressure
heads at junction points.

• Network analysis is not only important for designing

new systems, but also for monitoring and upgrading
existing systems.

• The following are the applications of network

analysis.
 To assess the capacities of existing systems,
 To control pressure and reduce pumping cost,
 Design of new systems,
 Water quality monitoring, and
 Investigation of the effect of damage to main,
storage tank locations, and other scenarios.
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Important Concepts in Network Analysis
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Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste
Important Concepts in Network Analysis
ater supply -Distribution syste

Types of network systems

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Types of network systems

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Distribution Network Analysis

A. Design procedures – Branching system:

Requirements: The sizes of the pipes should ensure

availability of water at the end points (terminals) of
the pipes, with the minimum allowable pressure at the
time of maximum demand.
Steps:
1. Assign the required demand at each node or
dead end
2. Estimate the discharge flowing through the
pipes
3. Assume possible pipe diameters
4. Calculate the head loss through that pipe
5. Find the residual pressure at the end of the
pipe.
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Distribution Network Analysis

B. Design procedures – Looped system:
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Distribution Network Analysis

The Hardy Cross Method: It is used to make hydraulic
analysis of complex
interconnected pipelines following the steps below.

Steps:
1. Build up system configuration and make the first guess of
flow distribution in the pipe network. i.e. Assign the
required demand, and elevation at each node

Enter one pressure in the system and all other pressures

are computed.

2. Assume the best distribution of flow that satisfies

continuity by careful examination of the network. The flow
entering a node must be equal to the flow leaving the
same node
ater supply -Distribution syste

Distribution Network Analysis

3. Calculate the head loss, hf, in each pipe. The algebraic
sum of the heads around a closed loop must be zero.
For a loop, take head loss in the clockwise flows as
positive and in the anti- clockwise flows as negative

4. Calculate the correction factor for each loop by

 rQo Qo 
n 1
hf
Q  
h
 rn Qo
n 1
n f

Q o
Where,
ΔQ = Correction discharge for the assumed discharge
Qo,
r = Constant depending on pipe,
n = 1.85 to 2, depending on equation used. n = 1.85
for Hazen-
William equation and n = 2 for Darcy-Weisbach
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Distribution Network Analysis

5. Apply the correction discharges to the assumed flows.
The corrected discharge, Q, now becomes Q = Qo + ΔQ

6. Repeat the above computations with the corrected flows

until the corrections for each pipe are negligible.

7. Compute the pressure distribution in the network and

check on the pressure requirement. i.e. using the input
node elevations Z and known pressure at one node,
pressure P at each node can be computed around the
network:

Pj = (Zi - Zj – Hf ) + Pi

Where,
Note: node j = down-gradient
Velocities from node
of flow and pressure levelsi must be
within acceptable ranges.
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Distribution Network Analysis

Example:
Design the supply system using Hardy-Cross method for the
network configuration shown below.
If the minimum pressure required is 14m, find the inlet
pressure. Assume that the system is laid on flat ground.
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Distribution Network Analysis

20 B r=5 D 50
15
r=2 70 35
Q2 r=1
Q1 35
A `
30
A r=4 C
100 A 30

Loop ABC Loop BDC

Pipe rQ2 2rQ Pipe rQ2 2rQ
AB 2x702=9800 2x2x70=280 BD 5x152=1125 2x5x15=280
BC 1x352=9800 2x1x35=70 DC -1x352=-1225 2x1x35=70
AC - 4x302=9800 2x4x30=240 CB -1x352=-1225 2x1x35=240
=7425  =590 =-1325  =290
Q = -7425/590 = -13 Q = -(-1325)/290 = 5
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Distribution Network Analysis

20 B r=5 D 50
20
r=2 57 30
Q2 r=1
Q1 17
A 43
A r=4 C
100 A 30

Loop ABC Loop BDC

Pipe rQ2 2rQ Pipe rQ2 2rQ
AB 2x572=6498 2x2x57=228 BD 5x202=2000 2x5x20=200
BC 1x172= 289 2x1x17=34 DC -1x302=-900 2x1x30=60
AC - 4x432=-7396 2x4x43=344 CB -1x172=-289 2x1x17=34
=-609  =606 =800  =294
Q = -(-609)/606 = -1 Q = -800/294 =-3
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Distribution Network Analysis

20 B r=5 D 50
17
r=2 58 33
Q2 r=1
Q1 17
A 42
A r=4 C
100 A 30

Loop ABC Loop BDC

Pipe rQ2 2rQ Pipe rQ2 2rQ
AB 2x582=6728 2x2x58=232 BD 5x172= 1445 2x5x17=170
BC 1x212= 441 2x1x21=42 DC -1x332= -1089 2x1x33= 66
AC - 4x422=-7056 2x4x42=336 CB -1x212= - 441 2x1x21= 42
=113  =610 =85  =278
Q = -113/610 = 0 (Negligible) Q = -(-85)/278 = 0 (Negligible)
ater supply -Distribution syste
Assignme
nt
For the piping system shown in the figure, determine the
flow distribution Q in each pipe and the piezometric heads
at the junctions using the Hardy Cross method. Assume
inlet pressure is 30m and system is installed on level
ground.
ater supply -Distribution syste

Network Analysis - Computer Programs

The use of computer programs has become common due
to their important advantages over that of manual
methods.

The advantages include:

 The softwares relieve engineers from tedious and
iterative calculations and enable them focus on
important aspects of the design.
 The softwares better incorporate the complex real
world system
 The softwares allow investigation of alternative
designs over a wider range of conditions
 Increased speed and memory at reduced cost.
 Analysis of large networks.
 Graphical presentation of results
 Easy identification of problems
Common computer programs: EPANET and WATERCAD
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Network Analysis - Computer Programs

Important features of a typical hydraulic analysis model:

 Representation. The various elements of a water

distribution system are represented as network of links and
nodes in the model.

Element Representation
Pipes Links
Reservoir, storage tanks, pumps, Node
etc.
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Network Analysis - Computer Programs

ater supply -Distribution syste

Network Analysis - Computer Programs

Skeletonization… selecting and including those pipe

network parts that have significant impacts in the
behavior of the system.

Demand allocation. Water withdrawal rate at each

node can be estimated manually. One useful method
follows:

 Using land use or zoning maps estimate the water

demand for each type of land use.
 Overlay the water distribution system map over
the land use map and determine the applicable
demand at each node.
 Major water users should be considered
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Network Analysis - Computer Programs

ater supply -Distribution syste

Network Analysis - Computer Programs

System inputs - Input requirements vary from

system element to element as indicated in the table
below.

 Model outputs. Outputs of a typical model run

may include flow rate, head loss, velocity in each
pipe, pressure at each node, residual chlorine, etc.
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste
Network Analysis - Computer Programs
ater supply -Distribution syste

Thank you!