Water Simulation Packages (WSP)

From the EPA web site:

EPANET is used in homeland security research to model contamination threats to water systems. Historically, EPANET has been limited to tracking the dynamics of a single chemical transported through a network of pipes and storage tanks. EPANET did not consider interactions between bulk species in the water or the surface species fixed to the pipe wall.

Recently, the NHSRC released a research version of MS-EPANET (Multi-Species EPANET) that allows for the consideration of multiple interacting species in the bulk flow and on the pipe walls. The multi-species modeling extensions to EPANET include the following:

1. The capability to model multi-species reactions in pipes and tanks when reactions involve bulk and surface species reactions.
2. Modification of the EPANET input file format to enable it to read water quality dynamics expressions and to accommodate various other multi-specie interactions. This allows arbitrary mathematical expressions of reaction dynamics. The model then parses the expressions and stores and structures the data for efficient evaluation.
3. The extension incorporates Newton-Raphson and Runge-Kutta algorithms into its water quality modules to solve the differential-algebraic equations that describe the reaction dynamics.
4. Modification of the EPANET Programmer’s Toolkit to allow for specification of contaminant sources and qualities.

MS-EPANET will enable users to model free chlorine loss, the formation of disinfection byproducts, nitrification dynamics, disinfectant residuals, and adsorption on pipe walls. Homeland security researchers are particularly interested in modeling the fate and transport of contaminant threats in drinking water distribution systems.

The MS-EPANET software and User’s Guide is now available to researchers and consultants as part of a beta-testing program. The User’s Guide includes several example applications. By the end of 2006, a tested version of MS-EPANET will be freely available.

The Organizing Committee of the International Conference on Water and Flood Management (ICWFM) is pleased to invite all interested persons to participate in the Conference to be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, March 12 to 14, 2007.

The present conference is aimed to make a bridge among the researchers, academicians and professionals with common interest to exchanges their views to address the issues related to water and flood management

More information here.

To those of you interested in Centrifugal Pumps please have a look at the new Centrifugal Pumps blog.

The new site will post news and information about centrifugal pump collected from the web.

This campaign highlights critical water access, health and usage issues. Join the “Water For Life” campaign to improve stewardship of local, national, regional and global water resources.

Water for Life

Related Item: Life Insurance Quotes get protected

See the new look of StormwaterAuthority.org

StormwaterAuthority is a place where specifying engineers, contractors, developers, site owners and regulators can learn and share information. It’s a place to research best management practices and regulations. A place with the latest news on stormwater management and treatment. A place that helps you implement the best plan, reduce short- and long-term costs, and make informed business decisions.

Wallingford Software announces that the latest release of FloodWorks, the real-time flood forecasting and flood warning system, now supports internet publishing of results. With this development, FloodWorks version 5.0, released at the end of 2005, can automatically publish flood forecasts on a website for viewing by remote users via a standard web browser.

FloodWorks provides real-time simulation and forecasting of hydrological and hydraulic conditions within river basins, drainage systems and the coastal zone. Designed for operational use in the control room, FloodWorks is particularly effective for real-time flood management, because it both provides forecasts of water level, flood depth and sea state for the hours or days ahead, and automatically disseminates detailed flood warnings.

There are many parties who need to know the details of the state of a river flood and the forecasts of imminent changes to flows and levels, including the various local authorities and emergency services located all along the river. FloodWorks was previously able to send out warning information by fax, email or SMS to a specified list of parties when certain critical conditions or levels were reached. That will continue, but now it will also be a simple matter to publish the latest information of flood forecasts to a website, and to provide access to authorized users. This has two benefits – more detail is available than can be contained in, for example, a text message, and information is available more frequently than that triggered when specific conditions are met.

From MWH Soft news release:

MWH Soft announced the final phase of development of InfoWater UDF, a geocentric solution for unidirectional flushing of drinking water distribution systems. InfoWater UDF delivers power and flexibility in managing the systematic flushing of water distribution systems to remove stagnant water along with mineral and sediment deposits that have accumulated over time - restoring hydraulic capacity.

A pipe’s hydraulic carrying capacity will deteriorate with age, depending on the corrosive nature of the water and surrounding soils. Deposits may be formed on the pipe walls by precipitation, microbiological activity and corrosion. These accumulations increase hydraulic roughness and reduce the cross-sectional area and hydraulic carrying capacity of the mains. A loss in carrying capacity can lead to low pressures and inability to deliver fire flows, especially during high demand periods. Slow-moving water can also result in a loss of chlorine residuals at stagnant spots, creating a public health risk. Problems associated with water quality degradation are particularly acute in dead-end lines and low-demand portions of water distribution systems.

Unidirectional flushing (UDF) is the most effective way to clean water mains and maintain water quality and system capacity. It also requires the least amount of water of any cleaning method. UDF involves the closure of valves and opening of hydrants to create a one-way flow in the water mains that removes built-up sediment. This type of high-speed flushing (5 to 6 ft/sec) increases the swiftness of the water in the mains, maximizing the shear velocity near the pipe wall. This produces a scouring action in the mains, effectively removing sediment deposits and biofilm. Among its numerous benefits, UDF can help improve water quality by restoring the disinfectant residual, reducing bacterial regrowth, dislodging biofilms, removing sediments and deposits, controlling corrosion, restoring flows and pressures, eliminating taste and odor problems, and reducing disinfectant demand throughout the system. These benefits prolong the life expectancy of the distribution system and reduce the potential for waterborne disease outbreaks.

Full press release

A new forum to announce water related jobs from all over the world is now available here.

You can also find there the EPANET user list archive!

To those of you interested in SCADA systems please have a look at the new SCADA blog.

The WDSA 2006 will hold a special workshop for the Battle of the Water Sensor Network.

The problem description and rules are available at the WDSA 2006 workshops page.