When facing pipeline replacement decisions, asset managers face a dilemma. Factual information about the condition of the pipelines allows better replacement decisions and capital efficiency gains. On the other hand, gathering this information is costly. Performing a cost-benefit analysis is also challenging, as the benefits are difficult to project. This paper models the financial impact of pipeline condition assessment by considering the financial risk associated with decision making errors. An economic optimization equation using the model is presented. This equation yields the Economic Assessment Level: the amount of condition information needed to minimize the total combined spending on information gathering and incorrect decisions. Case studies and examples of the impact of different levels of information gathering are presented. The results of these programs are compared with the predictions of the model, illustrating how the calculations can be used to improve capital improvement program efficiency real world situations.
The design of network blueprints (ideal design of water distribution networks taking into account the existing infrastructure) is optimized considering the minimization of costs while satisfying the required pressure and flow velocities. The optimal transition from the existing infrastructure towards the blueprint is described by the minimization of pipe failures or maximization of hydraulic performance and the number of construction sites, where old pipes are replaced by new ones, in each transition phase. Both problems are solved with Gondwana. An application to the network of Helmond-Mierlo (The Netherlands) shows that the costs for the optimized blueprint are only 64% of those from the currently existing infrastructure, while the hydraulic performance is improved. The optimized transition shows that a larger number of intervention sites allows for a higher reduction of pipe failures and a better hydraulic performance of the network.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.