ANALYSIS OF PIPE FAILURE IN WATER DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

In this paper different methods for analysis of pipes breakage in urban water distribution networks are investigated. At first, it is necessary to obtain complete and exact information about the failures in the networks. Thus, a suitable form was designed for gathering the required information including all the necessary parameters for the analysis. Then the rates of annual pipe failures were assessed based on the diameter, age and availability of pipes. Mechanical reliability (availability) of network components is the probability that component is performing well in the networks during its lifetime. The results show that the rate of breakage is decreased by increasing the diameter in all pipe types (e.g. Steel, Asbestos Cement). Assessing the availability of the pipes according to their diameter and length reveals an increase in availability by increasing the diameter but a decrease in availability by increasing the length of the pipes. It is also seen that the rate of water loss decreases by increasing the diameter of pipes. Furthermore, an increase in the rate of failures is observed when pipes are aging. The results of pipe breakage analyzed. Introduced in this paper provide helpful information to be used in design, operation and rehabilitation of pipe networks.