Artículo
Evaluation of carbon credits saved by water losses reduction in water networks
Año de publicación
2009
Congreso
Waterloss 2009
Lugar de celebración
Cape-town, Sudáfrica
Fecha
26-30 de Abril de 2009
Resumen
Nowadays, sustainable urban water management is a basic objective for the water industry. In this context, a key strategy is to rationalize water and energy demands since both resources are scarce and precious. Their costs, including the environmental ones, are in average going up while the requirements to reduce greenhouse effect gases are, with passing time, also higher. These facts fully justify the efforts to manage both resources in a more efficient way.

This paper present a methodology to calculate the energy losses linked to leaks in water distribution systems and its equivalent in carbon credits (the amount of non emitted CO2 to the atmosphere obtained from saving water). To assess benefits of water losses reduction, two different scenarios (a network with and without leaks) are considered. Carbon credits calculations are performed using “Pacific Institute Water to Air Models”.

The method presented is based in the energetic audit of the network, performed from the energy equation applied to the distribution system. This energetic balance establishes that the input energy, coming from reservoirs and pumps, equals to useful energy delivered to the consumers plus losses lost in leaks and pipes friction. As a prerequisite, the energetic audit requires the water balance of the system and the mathematical model of the network. Simulations are carried out using EPAnet 2.0.

Finally, to show the influence of the energy and water sources in the final results, up to four different combinations of sources are considered. From this quantitative analysis, a sensibility analysis can be easily performed and from it, adequate strategies to manage the whole water cycle in a more sustainable way, clearly identified.

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