Scholarly record

THE INFLUENCE OF WATER LOSSES IN THE OPERATION OF THE WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM IN THE ROMANIAN BIG CITIES

Victorita Radulescu

Abstract

In many cities from Romania, the water supply systems are very old, sometimes having over 60 years after their commissioning. Under these conditions, permanent large leakages are recorded. They are significant for the operator, influencing its economic performance and operating costs. The water supplier must understand the mechanism of water leaks and their influence on the performance of distribution network. The losses recorded by the system are unused for the purpose for which the supply was made, representing expenses that cannot be recovered by the customer billing. The paper presents a study on the water supply system for some cities in Romania, taking into account different types and causes of water losses. The materials from which the pipes in the distribution network are made, their length and age, which lead to the waste of the treated water, are analyzed. The influence of pressure losses due to different damage and requiring additional pumping stations is assessed. The problem of keeping losses within reasonable limits is important for both suppliers and consumers, who need some pressure on the tap. An estimation of water losses was made for 12 cities in Romania, taking into account the time of commissioning or of the last major repairs. Records of the number of reported damage and the volume of water lost in these cities are also provided. It is observed that the losses represent about 26% - 48% of the total amount of water delivered in the system.

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