Unidirectional flushing is a widely used method to remove sedimented particles from water distribution systems and prevent water discolouration events. However, it shows low efficiency in cases of high pressure losses, usually requires large volumes of water, and does not remove incrustations. Air scouring is known for being very effective in particle removal with minimal impacts from pressure loss, requiring little water and improving hydraulic capacities by removing soft incrustations. Flushing sequences of unidirectional flushing and air scouring were performed in similar conditions on 18 pipe sections from four water distribution networks located in the province of Quebec, Canada; unidirectional flushing was also performed on 14 additional pipe sections located in three other water distribution networks. Total suspended solid concentration of flushed water, water flow and pressure were recorded to estimate the amount of flushed particles, the required water volume and the evolution of hydraulic capacities. Within the studied networks, the water requirements for air scouring were approximately 8-fold less than for unidirectional flushing and did not significantly improve the hydraulic capacity of the cleaned pipes.

单向冲洗是一种广泛使用的方法，用于从水分配系统中清除沉淀的颗粒并防止水变色。但是，它在高压损失的情况下效率低下，通常需要大量的水，并且不能去除结垢。众所周知，空气冲刷在去除颗粒方面非常有效，压力损失的影响极小，几乎不需要水，并通过去除软结垢来提高水力容量。在加拿大魁北克省四个供水网络的18个管段上，以类似条件对单向冲洗和空气洗涤进行冲洗。还对位于其他三个水分配网络中的另外14个管段进行了单向冲洗。记录冲洗水的总悬浮固体浓度，水流量和压力，以估计冲洗颗粒的数量，所需的水量和水力容量的变化。在所研究的网络中，用于空气冲刷的水量比单向冲洗的水量大约少8倍，并且不能显着提高清洁管道的水力容量。