Serious damage may occur to concrete hydraulic structures, such as water galleries, spillways, and stilling basins, due to the abrasive erosion caused by the presence of solid particles in the flow. This underlines the importance of being capable in providing characterization of the concrete from the point of view of its vulnerability to abrasive erosion, in order to improve the design of the structure and the material selection. Nevertheless, the existing apparatus for concrete abrasive erosion testing are either far from allowing realistic simulation of the actual environment in which this phenomenon occurs, or show a large degree of complexity and cost. An alternative method has been developed with the aid of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). CFD was first employed to verify the effectiveness of a new laboratory equipment. Afterwards, a parameter has been introduced which, by successful comparison against preliminary experiments, proved suitable to quantify the effect of the fluid dynamic conditions on the concrete abrasive erosion, thereby opening the way to CFD-based customization of the apparatus. In the future, the synergy of numerical and physical modelling will allow developing predictive models for concrete erosion, making it possible to reliably simulate real structures.
Os operadores dos sistemas de distribuição de água enfrentam frequentemente a importante tarefa de reabilitar redes de distribuição. A deterioração das tubulações leva a um aumento na frequência de vazamentos, nos custos de operação e manutenção, problemas na qualidade da água distribuída, além das perdas. No entanto, a reabilitação dos sistemas de distribuição de água segue uma questão controversa para os operadores das empresas de saneamento. Se há consenso sobre os efeitos negativos da deterioração das redes de distribuição, o mesmo não acontece no que se refere à decisão de reabilitá-los. Neste cenário, este trabalho desenvolveu uma metodologia para o planejamento da reabilitação de redes de distribuição de água em grande escala. A metodologia identifica e classifica os setores elegíveis para a reabilitação, usando a análise multicritério, a partir de indicadores de desempenho e dados operacionais históricos, disponíveis em uma empresa de saneamento. A metodologia foi aplicada para o planejamento da reabilitação das redes da unidade de negócios norte de São Paulo, operada pela Sabesp (empresa de saneamento básico do estado de São Paulo). Com a aplicação do método no local estudado, os setores de reabilitação elegíveis são identificados e priorizados. contribución a la planificacIón de rehabilitación de redes de distribución del agua ABSTRACT Managers of water distribution systems are often confronted with the important task of rehabilitating their supply networks. The aging of the pipes increases the frequency of leaks, the operation and maintenance costs, the water quality problems, besides the loss of water. However, rehabilitation of water distribution systems is still a controversial issue for managers of sanitation services. Although there is a consensus about the negative effects generated by the deterioration of the networks, there is not the same certainty about the decision to rehabilitate them. In this scenario, it was developed a methodology for planning the rehabilitation of water distribution networks on a large scale. It identifies and classifies eligible sectors for rehabilitation, using multicriterial analysis, from performance indicators and historical operational data, which are available at sanitation companies. The developed methodology was applied for the rehabilitation planning of São Paulo Unit North networks, managed by SABESP (São Paulo Sanitation Company). The sectors eligible for rehabilitation were shown and prioritized.
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