Parameter-less remote real-time control for the adjustment of pressure in water distribution systems

Abstract

Reducing pressure in a water distribution system leads to a decrease in water leakage, decreased cracks in pipes, and consumption decreases. Pressure management includes an advanced type called remote real-time control. Here pressure control valves are controlled in real time in such a way as to provide set optimal pressures mostly at remote consumer locations. A hydraulic valve is expected to minimize problems with transients, although the study also applies to other valves. The control is done by using a controller that typically depends on tunable parameters, which are laborious to determine. A parameter-less controller is simpler because there are no parameters to tune. Such an existing P-controller, based on the flow in a pressure control valve being known, is enhanced from assuming constant flow to be valid for variable flow. This novel parameter-less controller performs significantly better than the former P-controller. Several recently proposed controllers, which were studied numerically, are compared: two parameter-less controllers, and two parameter-dependent controllers. The new parameter-less controller performs either better or worse than the most optimally tuned parameter-dependent controllers.