The development of populated centers has as a consequence the corresponding increase of the consumption of resources, first of all of the consumption of energy necessary for the transport of the additional flows of water. Their often-limited character materializes the desire to redistribute existing resources in time and space, in accordance with the requirements of the uses served. The widespread introduction, due to competitive prices, of composite pipes, but for which there is insufficient information on their behavior over time, has led to the need to research the sustainability and reliability of new systems in development for water transport. This chapter aims to provide an efficient tool for those interested in managing water supply systems with direct reference to the reliability and sustainability of water transport systems: supply and distribution networks.
TopIntroduction
Civil Engineering is a very wide field that includes not only buildings of any kind, but also the transport infrastructure and the installation infrastructure. Groundwater transport systems can be considered as true “arteries” or vital lines for urban settlements and for these reasons are considered critical infrastructure (Ancas, A.D., & Atanasiu, G.M.,2011). Sustainable development in civil engineering also requires the sustainability of water transport systems.
The socio-economic development of urban and rural localities is decisively conditioned by the water supply. Taken from surface or deep sources, the raw water is subjected to appropriate treatment processes to meet the quality requirements, transported and distributed to consumers and, after use, returned to the natural environment.
This closed circuit presupposes the existence of complex water supply and sewerage systems, capable of ensuring, on the one hand, the qualitative and quantitative requirements of the users, and on the other hand the measures imposed for the protection of the receiving environment.
From a technical and economic point of view, an important share in these systems belongs to the works for water transport. A water transport system consists of the supply pipes and the distribution network.
The complexity of the factors that contribute to the overall efficiency of a water transport and storage system, with a certain degree of operational safety, raises a number of technical and economic issues: choice of material, delimitation of economic operation, determination of economic diameter, staging making the adduction, etc. (Ancaș, A. D., et.al., 2021)
Water is transported from tanks or pumping stations to consumer connections via the distribution system. The distribution network must ensure the maximum hourly flow and the minimum service pressures, in order to satisfy all the uses served - household and public consumption, industrial and consumption for fighting fires.
The pipe, as the main element of a water transport network, must have sufficient strength and / or rigidity to perform its intended function in good condition.
Background
The term strength is the ability of the pipe to withstand the stresses that occur in the wall material. These are caused by the actions exerted on it such as the internal pressure of the transported fluid, the action of the soil around the pipe, the mobile actions caused by the surface traffic, differential settlements etc (Ungureanu, N. & Vrabie, M., 2004).
Any direct or indirect cause capable of producing destructive effects on building elements or structures shall be deemed to be action.
The term stiffness refers to the ability of the pipe's constituent material to resist movement. Bending stiffness is the product of the modulus of elasticity of the material and the abrasion resistance (Ungureanu, N. & Vrabie, M., 2004).
In addition to all these requirements of strength, rigidity and stability, which must be met by the materials and components of a water transport system, the system as a whole must be reliable and durable.
The term reliability refers to components, appliances, installations, equipment, which present safety in operation, under given conditions and for a determined period of time. Reliability is therefore the property of being reliable, associated with components, appliances, installations and equipment. In a more compact expression, reliability is safety in operation (Catuneanu, M.V., 1990).
According to the definition of the term sustainable, it means something that lasts a long or long time, lasting, resilient, viable. Durability is the quality of what is durable, durability, strength, viability. Another acceptance of durability refers to the period during which a good can be used.
Sustainability also refers to the system's ability or ability to cope with environmental effects over time. Notions such as design life, corrosion resistance and abrasion resistance are durability factors.
In other words, sustainability refers to the ability or ability of the pipeline to cope with environmental effects over time.
The notions of durability and reliability, associated with a water transport system, are interdependent and related to the life of the system (Cioc, D., Anton, A., 2001).
The need for and timeliness of reliability and sustainability studies in the water sector also stems from the assumption of environmental protection responsibilities (UE 2000/60/CE).