Joint probabilities of demands on a water distribution network: A non-parametric approach

This paper proposes aprocedure to determine the probability of a specific water demand scenario in a Water Distribution Network (WDN). Stochastic correlated demands are generated for each node of the network using scaling laws. In particular, each demand fits a normal probability density function (PDF). To determine the joint probability of water demands at all nodes of the network, each nodal demand is divided in class intervals and a multidimensional contingency table is built. The joint probability represents the occurrence probability of a specific water demand scenario. The presented approach produces valuable information about demand scenarios and their probability of occurrence in a network. This method can find a further application in the robust optimization models for the design and management of WDN.