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Relative Water Age in Premise Plumbing Systems Using an Agent-Based Modeling Framework
Jonathan B Burkhardt1, John Minor2, William E Platten3
1Environmental Engineer, US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, 26 W. Martin Luther King Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45268.
Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management
|March 27, 2023
Summary
Premise plumbing system modeling using PPMtools shows increased water use generally lowers water age. However, water age can still exceed stagnant periods, and larger pipes increase water age, with hot water heaters significantly impacting results.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Hydraulic Engineering
- Water Quality Management
Background:
- Predicting hydraulics and water quality in premise plumbing systems is increasingly important.
- Existing tools require enhancement for comprehensive premise plumbing analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce PPMtools, an open-source Python tool for modeling premise plumbing systems using WNTR or EPANET.
- To analyze relative water age in real-world single-family homes using PPMtools.
Main Methods:
- Developed and utilized PPMtools for premise plumbing system simulations.
- Conducted a relative water age study in three real-world homes.
- Varied parameters such as water usage, pipe diameter, and hot water heater influence.
Main Results:
- Increased water use (more people, higher flow fixtures) generally decreased relative water ages.
- Larger pipe diameters (19.1 mm vs. 12.7 mm) led to increased relative water ages.
- Hot water heaters had the most significant impact on relative water age; smaller uses showed more variability.
Conclusions:
- PPMtools is a valuable tool for exploring complex water quality dynamics in premise plumbing.
- Understanding water age is crucial for maintaining water quality within homes.
- System design and usage patterns significantly influence water age and quality outcomes.
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