Pipe Network Model Precision Evaluation via Pressure Transfer
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Solution Overview
Problem
It is challenging to install sensors for flow amount measurement directly in pipes, and existing methods struggle to capture fast variations, making it difficult to evaluate the precision of pipe network analysis models without using flow amount information.
Innovation Solution
An analysis device and method that derive transfer characteristics between nodes in an electrical circuit modeling a pipe network, allowing for the computation of fluid pressure at interior nodes based on pressures at multiple nodes, enabling evaluation of pipe network models without direct flow amount measurement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor for flow amount measurement is installed directly in a pipe, then flow amount information can be obtained, but it is difficult to install and maintain the sensor
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses pressure sensors installed at easily accessible locations (manholes, access points) as intermediaries to indirectly measure flow amount. Instead of placing sensors directly in pipes, pressure information from accessible locations is used to calculate flow characteristics through hydraulic models, making measurement feasible without difficult pipe installations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces direct mechanical flow measurement (flow meters in pipes) with a computational approach using pressure measurements and hydraulic models. Electrical/computational systems process pressure data to derive flow information, avoiding the need for physical flow sensors in difficult-to-access pipe locations
2Measurement precision
If a supersonic wave sensor is used for flow measurement, then measurement capability is achieved, but it is difficult to capture fast variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces supersonic wave-based mechanical measurement with electrical pressure sensing and computational modeling. Pressure sensors with fast response characteristics combined with hydraulic models capture rapid flow variations more effectively than supersonic wave methods
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameter from supersonic wave characteristics to pressure variations. Pressure changes in the pipe network respond rapidly to flow changes, and modern pressure sensors can capture these fast variations, improving response speed while maintaining measurement accuracy
3Measurement precision
If flow amount information is used to evaluate pipe network models, then model precision can be assessed, but sensor installation difficulties prevent data collection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses pressure measurements at accessible locations as intermediaries to evaluate pipe network models. Instead of requiring direct flow measurement, pressure data from manholes and access points serve as proxies that, when combined with hydraulic models, enable model validation and precision assessment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the pipe network as a hydraulic model and uses pressure measurements to validate this model. The model replicates network behavior, allowing evaluation of model precision by comparing simulated pressure/flow with measured pressure data, avoiding the need for direct flow sensor installation
Data Source
AI summary
The purpose of the present invention is to facilitate evaluating the precision of a pipe network model without using flow information. An analysis device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a transfer characteristic derivation unit which derives a transfer characteristic which represents a relation between a voltage in a plurality of nodes which are included in an electrical circuit which is a model of a pipe network through which a fluid flows and a voltage in an interior node which is a different node of the electrical circuit from the plurality of nodes, and a computation unit which, on the basis of the transfer characteristic and the pressure of the fluid at positions within the pipe network which correspond to the plurality of nodes, computes the pressure of the fluid at a position within the pipe network which corresponds to the interior node.