This paper proposes a multistage method for burst leak localization through valve operations (VOs) and smart demand metering in district meter areas (DMAs) of water distribution systems (WDSs). Each stage includes partitioning of the DMA into two subregions using VOs and identification of potentially leaking pipes within the subregions through water balance analysis based on smart demand meters. Such a process is performed repeatedly (multiple stages) to narrow down the spatial range for pinpointing leak locations. To improve efficiency, a bisection optimization problem is formulated to localize the minimum leak areas using the lowest number of VOs, which is solved by a graph theory‐based method. The utility of the proposed method is demonstrated using two DMAs (DMA1 and DMA2) of a real WDS with different topological properties. Results show that the proposed method can efficiently localize artificial burst leaks in DMA1 within 7–15% of the total pipe length, implying that the proposed method is theoretically effective in localizing pipe burst leaks. The real application to DMA2 has identified two leak regions with 2.3 and 4.2 km of pipe length (around 3–6% of the entire DMA2) using 18 VOs. These two burst leaks have been subsequently confirmed and pinpointed using listening rods by practitioners of the local water utility. These results indicate that the proposed multistage method is effective and efficient for burst leak localization, which can be promising for wide practical applications due to rapid developments of smart WDSs (e.g., smart demand meters or control valves).

中文翻译：

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使用多级最佳阀门操作和智能需求计量的配水系统中的高效泄漏定位

本文提出了一种多阶段方法，用于通过阀门操作（VOs）和配水系统（WDSs）的区域水表区域（DMA）中的智能需求计量进行爆破泄漏定位。每个阶段都包括使用VO将DMA划分为两个子区域，以及通过基于智能需求表的水平衡分析来识别子区域内潜在泄漏的管道。重复执行此过程（多阶段）以缩小空间范围，以精确定位泄漏位置。为了提高效率，提出了对等优化问题，以使用最少数量的VO来确定最小泄漏区域，这是通过基于图论的方法解决的。使用具有不同拓扑属性的实际WDS的两个DMA（DMA1和DMA2）演示了所提出方法的实用性。结果表明，该方法可以有效地将DMA1中的人工爆裂泄漏定位在总管长的7-15％之内，这意味着该方法在理论上可以有效地定位管道爆裂泄漏。DMA2的实际应用使用18个VO识别出两个泄漏区域，其泄漏长度分别为2.3和4.2 km（约占整个DMA2的3–6％）。随后，当地自来水公司的从业人员已使用倾听棒确认并确定了这两次爆炸泄漏。这些结果表明，所提出的多级方法对于突发泄漏定位是有效的，由于智能WDS（例如，智能需求仪表或控制阀）的快速发展，对于广泛的实际应用可能是有希望的。