Escolar Documentos
Profissional Documentos
Cultura Documentos
College of Engineering
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Investigation
into Failure
Phenomena
Apparent Customer Meter of Water
Losses Inaccuracies Billing &
(10%) Meter
Accounting Error NRW
Water
Losses
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Problem Statement
Approximately, 140,000 flow displacement domestic water revenue meters
are existed in The Kingdom of Bahrain's Water Distribution System in the
year 2015.
As per Meters Manufacturers the estimated life cycle of those meters are
about seven years in service depending on water quality and operation
environmental conditions.
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Objectives
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Literature Review
Water Losses
Authors/Subject Finding
The authors have highlighted the importance of
Frauendorfer, & Liemberger, (2010).
NRW management as reflect water utilities
The Issues and Challenges of
performance and identified the NRW main
Reducing Non-Revenue Water,
elements and their impact in utility revenue.
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Continue.. Literature Review
Apparent Losses
Authors/Subject Finding
Couvelis and Zyl, (2015) Study concluded that the apparent losses due to
Apparent losses due to domestic water meter under-registration are 5% of
water meter under-registration in consumption for domestic consumers.
South Africa.
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Continue.. Literature Review
Water Meters Basis, Classes and Types
Authors/Subject Finding
Finding
Authors/ Subject
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Research Process
Research Process has been set in principle of PDCA
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Research Methodology
The quantitative research method would be used to identify the merit of order
behind the failure phenomena and the data collected will be analyzed using
groups of Quality Control Tools namely:
Fault tree analysis (FTA) for analyzing the interrelation among the meter
failures and their causes.
Cause and Effect Diagram (CED) for identifying relationships between meter
failure element and their causes.
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Data Collection
• EWA water distribution system feed via 98.5% Potable / Distillated Water
from RO and MSF Plants and 1.5% Ground Water .
• Twenty nine water storage stations distribute all over The Kingdom of
Bahrain supplying water through water distribution network to EWA
customers.
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Data Collection
Failure Phenomena.
• Area of investigation has been selected based on deep analysis of five years
collected historical data of tanks supplied area volumetric domestic water
meter failures over EWA/WDD Water Network.
• The area of investigation has been carefully selected based on the most
frequent average percentage defects occurrences over last five years (2011-
2015) in each water distribution tank.
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Data Collection Gathering
Study Area of investigation
Five Year WM % Defect per Water Supply Tanks
45% 30%
40%
25%
35%
30% 20%
25%
15%
20%
15% 10%
10%
5%
5%
0% 0%
• Block 302 Al Makarga area feed 1098 domestic customers has most frequent
and worst meter failures with an average failures of 32% over five years
(2011-2015).
• Block 302 water network supplied blended water and operated under
continuous pressure regime of 1.5 bar. 17
Data Collection Gathering
• The methodology used in this study for sampling has implemented via
introduce Yamane Formula, (Taro, 1973). n=N / (1+Ne2).
Where;
n = Sample size
N = Population
e = error
CL = 86% due to huge amount of collected data from multiple
sources and to maintain acceptable sample size.
e = 1-CL = 0.14
All Population, N = 1,725
n=N / (1+Ne2) = 1725/ (1+1725*0.142) = 50
Sample Size, n= 50
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Data Collection Gathering
• Total samples size has been calculated in yearly basis according to yearly
% defects and selected randomly.
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Data Collection Gathering
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Results Analysis and Discussion
Histogram
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Frequancy
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15
10
6
5 3
0
Internal Blockage Aging Body degradation
mechanical parts
Defect Classification
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Results Analysis and Discussion
Pareto Chart
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Results Analysis and Discussion
Pareto Chart
Operation Life
Defect No. of Defects % Defect Failure vs. Operation Life
(Year)
3 9 Prior Operation Life
Blockage 4 12 60 Prior Operation Life
5 9 within Operation Life
Accuracy 5 17 34 within Operation Life
4 2 Prior Operation Life
Body 6
5 1 within Operation Life
• That the
Total 50 meter is due to blockage which is 30 meters
vast major defect of water
of selected sample (60% ).
Pareto Chart
• 34% of selected samples represent accuracy failures, 100% of such failures have
occurred within recommended operation life.
• The third defect has been found is body failure, which represents 6% of the
selected samples 67% of such meter failures has been failed prior recommended
operation life.
• Implementation of FTA in this study has been started by identifying the top
event cause the failure of the volumetric water meters. This has been divided
into three primary events (meter blockage, drop in accuracy and body failures).
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Results Analysis and Discussion
Top Event
Volumetric Water Meter
Failure (A)
OR
Failures Events
Primary
OR OR OR
Meter’s Blocked Internal Mechanical Meter’s Operation Age Meter Tampering Meter Degradation
(0.52) Parts (0.12) (0.3) (0.03) (0.03)
0.52 OR OR
OR
0.3 0.03
0.06 0.06
0.26 0.26
0.015
Corrective Events
• The quantitative and qualitative assessment of fault tree take place based
on data obtained in the graphic construction, using calculation to evaluate
system reliability using binary logic equations and assessment assuming
that all the events are depended.
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Results Analysis
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA)
• The second major volumetric water meter failure is the accuracy failure,
which represents 34% of the selected samples. This could be either meter
internal parts 4% or meter operation life (age) 30% .
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Results Analysis
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA).
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Results Analysis and Discussion
Fault Tree Analysis (FTA).
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Results Analysis and Discussion
Cause and Effect Diagram.
Limitation of
deterrent Laws Ambient Temperature Strainer Size
Improper
Meter Custody Incompatible Materials
Limitation of
Unscheduled
Meters KPI Measures
Absence of Awareness Replacement
Program
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Conclusions and Recommendations
Conclusion
• 60% of water meters stopped recording the flow due to accumulation of debris on
water meter strainer.
• Meters had accuracy failures constitute 34% of the selected samples, those meters
have failed to pass laboratory accuracy test due to tear and wear of meter internal
part.
• Meters suffered terrible failures in meter body constitutes 6% of the selected
samples. Those meters mainly failed in thread area (body failure).
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Conclusions and Recommendations
Recommendation
• Having more comprehensive reports for any water meter failure; this will support
any future investigation.
• Investigating the meter maintenance activities via introducing smart measures for
each activity.
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