Optimizing Selection of Fire Hydrants for Flow Tests in Water Distribution Systems

Abstract During a hydrant flow test, the more pipes with the increased flow velocity, the better the hydrant flow test is. Therefore, a good selection of hydrants for flow test is anticipated with the flow velocity increment or extra head losses occurred in as many pipes as possible. In order to maximize the performance of flow tests, a new method is developed to search for a combination of available hydrants for flow tests so that the total length of the pipes with the increased flow velocity and/or the increased unit hydraulic head loss greater than a prescribed threshold is maximized.