Sensor placement for leak monitoring in drinking water networks combining clustering techniques and a semi-exhaustive search

Abstract

This paper presents an optimal sensor placement strategy based on pressure sensitivity matrix analysis and a semi-exhaustive search strategy that maximizes some diagnosis specifications for water distribution networks. A mean average worst leak expansion distance has been proposed as a new leak location performance measure. The approach is combined with a clustering technique in order to reduce the size and the complexity of the sensor placement problem. The strategy is successfully applied to determine the location of a set of pressure sensors in a district metered area (DMA) in the Barcelona water distribution network (WDN).