Developing a Simplified Practical Approach for Analyzing the Criticality of Isolation Valves

3 Maximizing reliability is imperative for water distribution networks (WDN) design. Recent claims 4 about providing adequate and operable isolation valves as a focal aspect of a reliable WDN design 5 have attracted substantial interest. In this direction, this paper attempts to answer the question of 6 which isolation valves in a WDN must be prioritized based on their criticality towards enhancing 7 WDN reliability. Two novel algorithms are proposed – one for ranking every isolation valve in a 8 WDN and the second to identify the location of a new isolation valve to reduce the criticality of a 9 specific valve in a WDN. Unlike the prevailing methodologies, the proposed algorithms are 10 entirely based on the topological attributes of a WDN and do not require a calibrated hydraulic 11 model, which is often a limiting factor in WDN management. Our proof-of-concept has unveiled 12 the capability of the methodology to deliver preliminary information to water utilities regarding 13 the criticality of valves without any hydraulic simulation.