Evaluación del impacto de la topología de una red hidráulica en la distribución de caudales de agua potable mediante un modelo físico

Abstract

In the water supply for buildings, problems of excess or lack of pressure and flow are common. Particularly, in water distribution systems in buildings with an elevated tank, the lower levels experience excess pressure due to the potential energy generated by the building’s height, while the upper levels may experience a pressure deficit due to the lack of energy, causing suboptimal operation of sanitary fixtures. This research analyzes, through a physical model, the performance of two types of potable water distribution in a five-story building with an elevated tank. The distribution types evaluated are: straight derivation column (CDR) and stepped derivation column (CDE). Additionally, the aim is to standardize the flows delivered to each floor through the operation of valves and the use of the CDR and CDE configurations. The results of laboratory tests revealed that the CDR and CDE distributions do not uniformly distribute the flow at all levels of the system, and neither distribution method provides the maximum flow to all floors simultaneously. It is recommended to use computer-assisted simulation to evaluate a greater number of scenarios.