“Simple energy loss estimation in water distribution systems”

ABSTRACT:

“Water and energy are valuable and critical resources. There is a need and will to reduce its consumption due to the impact of climate change and drought. Both resources are closely related. Water is needed to produce energy but, the water supply system is also an energy-intensive process, using up to 4% of worldwide energy.
Analyzing the energy balance of water distribution systems confirms the water leakage as a loss of energy. Although there are already precise methods to accurately estimate the energy losses, these are complex and need a deep knowledge of the infrastructure. This work proposes a simple method, with few and easily available global parameters, to estimate upper and lower bounds of energy losses due to leakage. The goal is to quickly access the economic potential of energy efficiency investments in water networks. The method was tested over 21 water distribution entities in Portugal, showing this approach’s potential for a high-level decision on energy efficiency projects.”