Optimal selection of pressure relief valve parameters for surge pressure control in water distribution systems

Pressure relief valve (PRV) is one of the hydraulic devices used to protect water distribution systems (WDS) from pressure surges due to its efficiency and feasibility in application. The performance of PRV is determined by several parameters that include design parameters, system parameters and operation parameters. A comprehensive pipeline optimization transient flow model using GA is originally developed to determine the optimal all PRV parameters by minimizing the difference between the maximum and the minimum pressure heads in WDS. The performance of the model is tested by comparing the results with the corresponding ones from literature. The model has been applied to a real WDS of El-Mostakbal City, Egypt. The results show that controlling of abnormal pressure surges in WDS can be achieved by using optimal selection of all PRV parameters.