Análisis de la eficiencia hidráulica de la red de distribución de agua potable de la parroquia Bayas perteneciente al cantón Azogues - Diagnóstico del sistema actual y propuesta de mejoras

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the hydraulic efficiency of the drinking water distribution network of the parish of Bayas belonging to the canton Azogues and provide a diagnosis of the current system and proposals for improvements by making use of the computational tool Epanet. An update of the geometric - hydraulic data of the existing network was made, with which the hydraulic performance could be evaluated. The effect of hydraulic variables (pressure and velocity) was considered when a new storage tank was incorporated. According to the diagnosis of the system without the incorporation of the new tank, 47.00% of the nodes of the entire network exceeded the maximum pressure limit established while in the branched areas of the network low speeds predominated in 64.80% of pipes. It was also determined that, with the simulation of the new tank these two problems persist. Three improvement proposals for optimization were considered; the first was the incorporation of pressure reducing valves at strategic points in the network, which allowed a 32% improvement in system pressures. The second was the development of an algorithm to find optimal diameters in the network; it was implemented through the Epanet Toolkit, obtaining an improvement of 34% and 5% in pressures and speeds respectively. The last proposal studied consisted of the creation of closed circuits, which resulted in an 8% improvement in system speeds.