Failure impact analysis of isolation valves in a water distribution

Abstract

Isolation valves are crucial components of water distribution systems for separating pipe segments from the network for repair or maintenance purpose. This paper looks at the impacts of isolation valves failure on the three indictors including number of valves that are needed to isolate a distribution system segment, the size of distribution system segments and the shortfall in meeting demands during failure. A network with various isolation valve configurations in terms of the density of valves is used as a case study. The results obtained from the case study show that the failure of an isolation valve has substantially varying impacts on system performance during a shutdown. The density of valves in the network determines impacts of inoperable valves on a shutdown. Generally speaking, a higher density of isolation valves leads to the less impact of valve failure. Finally, several conclusions drawn from the critical valve analysis in this study could be applied to guide the isolation valve maintenance and management.