Pressure management and water-loss control

Measure before setting

Determine inlet pressure, minimum service pressure, critical elevation and daily flow variation before selecting a valve. Pressure reduction does not have the same effect everywhere. Inadequate service pressure, cavitation and hydraulic transients must be assessed in the design.

Equipment chain

• Inlet meter or flow meter
• Upstream/downstream and critical-point pressure sensors
• A hydraulic control valve with the appropriate pilot arrangement
• Isolation valves and dismantling joints
• Air valves selected for the line profile
• A data logger or RTU with compatible communications

DMA and night-flow interpretation

A district metered area has defined inflows, outflows and boundaries. Minimum night flow is evaluated with legitimate night consumption, reservoir operation and meter accuracy. Investigate physical leakage, apparent losses, unauthorised consumption and data faults separately.