Benchmarking and improving the energy efficiency of water distribution systems

Water and wastewater utilities typically represent the single largest municipal consumer of electricity. Previous studies have shown the potential to significantly reduce this use through infrastructure and operational improvements, particularly for water distribution. The proposed research seeks to validate and expand the application of energy metrics, developed by the applicant, that describe how energy is supplied, dissipated, lost, and delivered, throughout water distribution systems. Data collected from multiple water utilities, and findings from previous research conducted by HydraTek will be used to validate these metrics and build a more robust decision support tool. The performance of the systems will be compared and energy metrics benchmarked, allowing for the identification of best practices. The tool and reports developed will be available to HydraTek to extend the work in future consulting services. services.

Faculty Supervisor:

Tamer El-Diraby

Student:

Rebecca Dziedzic

Partner:

HydraTek and Associates Inc.

Discipline:

Engineering - civil

Sector:

Environmental industry

University:

University of Toronto