Water Distribution Systems Reliability: A Review of Research Literature

Every water distribution system (WDS) fails partially or completely at some point or points during its lifetime. Measurement of reliability for a WDS under various failure conditions is necessary. Numerous techniques have been developed for estimating WDS reliability. This study provides an in-depth review of the relevant research literature (subsequently referred to simply as “literature”) in the context of mathematical methods for measuring WDS reliability. It was found that the literature is vague as types of failure (mechanical, hydraulic, and water quality failure) and techniques of reliability analysis are mixed together inappropriately. This research organized and classified the available techniques into three major categories and discussed which technique should be used depending upon the type of a failure. A particular state of failure could have several simultaneous unfavorable impacts on a WDS operation. Deep insight into the relevant literature revealed that simultaneous multiaspect/state analysis has received relatively no attention. The research demonstrated the need for simultaneous multiaspect/state performance analysis of a WDS.