Assessment of the fractal dimension as a design and operation criterion of water distribution systems

Abstract

This is the extended version of a research article developed to understand assertive applications of fractal analysis in hydraulic design and operation. By understanding the fractal behavior of feasible design outcomes obtained through mono-objective and bi-objective methodologies, it was possible to determine how a measurement of dispersion, organization and complexity could be implemented in hydraulic design and operation through four approaches: (1) in the definition of the topological layout; (2) in the achievement of redundancy requirements; (3) as a pipe aging indicator; (4) as a demand variation indicator. This version can help the reader understand the preliminary stage of this research and some broad ideas that will be better developed in a final published version of this work that will be submitted to the Urban Water Journal. In the future, the conclusions and questions arising from this research hope to contribute to the generalization of the governing principles of Hydraulic Engineering that allow to develop tools to make good design solutions more accessible and easier to implement by stakeholders, water utilities and society.