Análise comparativa do impacto das equações de perda de carga nos custos de redes de abastecimento de água

Abstract

Head loss is an extremely important guideline in the process of designing hydraulic structures, also serving as a crucial element in reducing costs associated with installing these hydraulic systems. This happens because it affects pipe sections, their dimensions, water reservoirs, and their elevations. Notably, the significance of friction coefficients in these conduits for head loss must be emphasized. Various equations and methodologies exist to calculate it, necessitating the use of a friction factor. As this coefficient decreases, head loss increases. The Brazilian Association of Technical Standards recognizes the Universal Formula, as kwown as Darcy–Weisbach Formula, as a method to determine head loss through ABNT NBR 12.218/2017. Additionally, the hydraulic simulation program EPANET utilizes the Hazen–Williams equation developed by engineers Allen Hazen and Garden Williams, derived from the Darcy–Weisbach equation formulated by the engineer Henry Philibert Gaspard Darcy in collaboration with the mathematician Julius Weisbach, and the Chezy–Manning equation by the renowned engineers Antoine de Chezy and Robert Manning. This study aims to compare the previously mentioned methodologies for determining head loss, considering economic–financial analysis within the same water distribution network, using identical input data. Consequently, it evaluates the influence of the friction factor on the network's head losses.