Regulation response of pilot operated diaphragm pressure reducing valves: laboratory testing and impact on the performance of pressure control modes in water distribution systems

Pressure control is recognized as an efficient measure to reduce leaks from water distribution systems. The effectiveness of various pressure control modes, by means of pilot operated diaphragm pressure reducing valves (PRVs), is evaluated in this paper taking into account the sensitivity of the valve to various settings. First, the response of a PRV to consecutive pressure settings variations was experimentally evaluated in the hydraulic simulation laboratory of National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS). These experiments revealed that the studied valve reacts only when the pressure setting variation corresponds to at least 1/6 turn of the pilot valve. Second, a real case study from Quebec City, Canada, was simulated in order to evaluate the impact of the PRV response on three pressure control modes: fixed control, time based control, and real time control (RTC). The results show that RTC of pressure leads to leakage rate reduction on the studied network but that the PRV operational constraints limit the expected performance of RTC.