Abstract
For the analysis of water distribution systems, hydraulic simulation is
of great importance; however, there are no suitable and holistic
simulation tools for Intermittent Water Supply (IWS), so researchers are
forced to utilise EPA-SWMM software, which needs some modifications to
make it suitable for IWS analysis. This study focuses on providing a
generic IWS analysis method in EPA-SWMM. Firstly, IWSs were classified
according to coping strategies (e.g., household tank installation)
customer satisfaction, supply schedule and duration to provide a unified
terminology to the body of knowledge and assist in predicting the
systems’ behaviour, which should be reflected in the modelling process.
Then EPA-SWMM based modelling approaches were compared paying attention
to the case studies applied and two improved hydraulic modelling
approaches have been proposed depending on the customer satisfaction of
the network (namely i) unsatisfied IWS, ii) satisfied and partially
satisfied IWS). Ultimately, customer satisfaction is the key, as the IWS
systems are driven by user water consumption behaviours that are based
on the demand-supply relationship. The application of the proposed
methods to two different case studies and comparison with the
state-of-the-art methods demonstrated their capability, compatibility
with EPA-SWMM operating principles, and the ability to simulate the IWS
system behaviour in a more realistic manner. In addition, the proposed
methods are generic, unlike the available ones, which, in most cases,
are only applicable to the specific case study.