An analysis of stay-in-pipe time in water distribution network for an estimation of THM generation

Abstract

This paper presents a mathematical approach for the analysis of trihalomethane (THM) generation and its spread in water distribution network. THM is a carcinogenic substance, which is produced principally from chlorine and some THM precursors, whereas chlorination of water in purification plants is an indispensable process. Therefore it is important to know when, where and how much THM will be generated in distribution network that has an exceedingly complex structure.
In this paper, we propose a mathematically analyzing system of THM generation and its spread that consists of four functional componets, which are a pipe network analysis, an analysis of stay-in-pipe time of water, an estimation of THM generation, and an analysis of THM spreading. We describe in detail the new algorithm to calculate stay-in-pipe time of water, which is needed in the estimation of THM generation, and show a numerical experiment for the proposing algorithm.