Dynamic Plug Flow Reactor Network Model for Contaminant Transport in Water Distribution Systems

Authors

James Uber, University of Cincinnati
Ken Hickey, University of Cincinnati
Mao Fang, University of Cincinnati
Lew Rossman, Risk Reduction Engineering Lab

Date of this Version

1992

Comments

Published in Hydraulic Engineering: Saving a Threatened Resource—In Search of Solutions: Proceedings of the Hydraulic Engineering sessions at Water Forum ’92. Baltimore, Maryland, August 2–6, 1992. Published by American Society of Civil Engineers.

Abstract

We present a network water quality model that idealizes the distribution system as a network of ideal flow reactors, namely plug flow reactors. The plug flow reactors are linked together through an assumption of complete mixing at the network nodes. The resulting system of coupled 2-D (space - time) partial differential equations are discretized spatially using a finite difference scheme, and solved by numerical integration. The model will be evaluated with regard to its prediction capabilities, relative to previous modeling efforts.