Experimental study of prototype for real time control of pressure and hydropower generation through hydraulic regulation

In water distribution networks (WDNs), pressure regulation valves (PRVs) are widely used to reduce system leakage which strictly increases as a function of pressure. As an alternative, researchers in re­cent years have focused on using turbines or pumps as turbines (PATs) to couple pressure contro) with hydropower generation. However, since manufacturers usually do not provide the characteristic curves of pumps operated in reverse mode as turbines, widespread P A T use is hampered by this Jack of data which thus remains an open issue. Given the time variability of flow and pressure, the complex task of recovering energy in WDNs requires real time contro), with algorithms capable of ensuring constant pressure at the contro) node while at the same time maximizing power production. To this end, the paper reports the operation of a real time contro) prototype for pressure reduction and hy­dropower production based on hydraulic regulation, which requires a generation line (for power pro­duction) and a by-pass line. The experimentally derived PAT characteristic curves, when compared with a model available in the literature, showed good agreement between measured and predicted curves. A control algorithm was further implemented to maintain the desired pressure at the criticai node across varying values of pressure and flow discharge supplying the network. Laboratory tests confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed approach.