Simultaneous sensor placement and pressure reducing valve localization for pressure control of water distribution systems

Many studies on pressure sensor (PS) placement and pressure reducing valve (PRV) localization in water distribution systems (WDSs) have been made with the objective of improving water leakage detection and pressure reduction, respectively. However, due to varying operation conditions, it is expected to realize pressure control using a number of PSs and PRVs to keep minimum operating pressure in real-time. This study aims to investigate the PS placement and PRV localization for the purpose of pressure control system design for WDSs. For such a control system, a PS should be positioned to represent the pressure patterns of a region of the WDS. Correspondingly, a PRV should be located to achieve a maximum pressure reduction between two neighboring regions. According to these considerations, an approach based on the k-means++ method for simultaneously determining the numbers and positions of both PSs and PRVs is proposed. Results from three case studies are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the suggested approach. It is shown that the sensors positioned have a high accuracy of pressure representation and the valves localized lead to a significant pressure reduction.