Distribution Network Assessment using EPANET for Intermittent and Continuous Water Supply

Drawbacks of intermittent water supply system and inability to shift to continuous supply mode is the main challenge in developing countries. The suitability of the infrastructure laid over past two to three decades to meet the 24/7 demand of todays population is the issue for many water mangers. The present study addresses this issue using EPANET software for a pilot study area in Nagpur city, India. GIS maps, field survey data, remote sensing data and in-situ measurements of pressure and water quality are used in model simulation study. Total 96 artificial reservoirs are inserted into the network which replicate the end-user practices of excess water withdrawal. Reservoirs are assumed connected to damand nodes with equivalent diameter pipes for intermittent supply simulation. For continuous supply, demand multipliers are derived using Monte Carlo simulation. Bulk decay coefficient 0.17 day^?1 for residual chlorine is used in water quality simulation. Simulation scenario of intermittency indicates existing network is not suitable to maintain desired headloss, and pressure in most of the pipes is very low (<1 m). Water age and water quality problems reveal that rehabilitation of distribution mains and critical pipes in the central part is primarily important before implementing 24/7 water supply scheme in the study area.     

Risk Based Analysis for Contamination Event Selection and Optimal Sensor Placement for Intermittent Water Distribution Network Security

Water distribution networks are vulnerable to various contamination events that may be accidental or purposeful. Sensors are required for online monitoring of water quality to safeguard human health. Since sensors are costly, their numbers must be limited that makes sensor locations crucial in the water monitoring system. This paper aims at location of sensors in intermittent water distribution system which are more prone to accidental contamination due to contaminants ingress into the pipe lines because of low pressures during non supply hours. Considering deployment of limited number of sensors, the novelty of the paper is to propose a methodology for selection of contamination events with associated risk to be used in design of sensor network. Integrated risk assessment model is used to identify risk prone areas that may lead to possible contamination events. A Genetic Algorithm based methodology is suggested for optimal location of water quality sensors to maximize the detection likelihood of the contamination events within the acceptable time from the risk prone areas to improve network security. A comparison of sensor network design is made by considering contamination events occurring with: (i) equal probability at all the nodes; (ii) equal probability at risk prone nodes; and (iii) probability of occurrences based on quantified risk, to show that identification of risk prone areas and selection of contamination events results in reduction of computational work and more sensible placement of sensors.     

Attributes of good teaching in engineering education in Indian subcontinent

Engineering education in India has been facing considerable challenges in regard to good teaching and knowledge deployment. Therefore demands new teaching methods and learning approaches thus must be developed in the field. The present review explores the concept of good teaching practices affecting performance of students in higher education with special reference to engineering education in India. With the advent of new technologies and tools, it is also vital to study the effectiveness of teaching methodologies; therefore, the review is intended to demarcate the factors which can be used to evaluate the good teaching among students. This study also explains the research done on engineering education in India in the past and recognizes the major factors influencing the same.     

Dispersion study for two‐dimensional modelling

Simulation of water quality variation in a particular river stretch or at a particular location with time requires mathematical modelling based on advection and dispersion phenomenon. In this context, estimation of an appropriate dispersion coefficient, which is a function of characteristics of a water body, is very essential and forms an important step in mathematical modelling. The tracer study conducted in this context on the river Ganga to estimate the dispersion coefficient is described in this paper with an analysis of data based on a stream‐tube approach. For the wide river Ganga, with a velocity in the range 0.3–0.5 m/s, the estimated transverse dispersion coefficient is 1.33 m²/s.     

A novel Modified Chaotic Simplified Advanced Encryption System (MCS-AES): mixed reality for a secure surgical tele-presence

Mixed Reality (MR) surgery has not been effectively implemented in telemedicine due to strict requirements of security and delay minimization during real-time video transmission. Hence, this paper aims to propose a novel solution for Surgical Telepresence with highly secured and faster real-time video transmission. The proposed system consists of three components: Authentication (Pre-surgery), Data transmission (During-Surgery), and Storage (Post-Surgery). For Authentication, Pass-Matrix technique is used at both ends to provide graphical passwords. During the surgery, a hybrid system is used to provide highly secured and faster real-time video transmission. This system includes a Feistel Encryption System (FES), Modified Scaled Zhongtang Chaotic System (M-SCZS), and Modified Advanced Encryption System (M-AES) algorithm. After Surgery, the transmitted data are stored using the Information Accountability Framework (IAF) for future purposes. The results are obtained from the during-surgery stage for jaw, breast, and bowel surgery. Both solutions are simulated in MATLAB on a personal computer with average processing capability. The proposed solution improves the entropy from 7.733~7.782 to 7.798–7.996 and reduces the processing time from 8.642~9.911 s/frames to 5.071~6.563 s/frames. The proposed focus on reducing the total processing time for the encryption and decryption process with improving security during the surgery process. Finally, this solution provides a fast security system for surgical telepresence that helps both local and remote surgeons for secure real-time communication. The complexity for this work need to know the used chaotic method, the values of the chaotic parameters and for which this method was used, in addition to the complexity of state of the art.

     

Dynamic weighting system for water quality index

Water quality standards are developed world over by National and International agencies for pollution control decision-making. Use-based water quality classification criteria and Water Quality Indices (WQIs) also play important role in assessment of water resources for their suitability with reference various uses. Formulation of value function curves and weights assigned to parameters in WQIs are often defined by local water experts and hence WQIs are known to inherit subjectivity. Assignment of weights a priori to various water quality parameters results in misclassification of water quality by WQI. A method of dynamic weighting has been developed in the present work to assign weights to water quality parameters with due consideration to their pollution effect at a particular site. Application of a methodology to Overall Index of Pollution (OIP) provides water quality classification of Indian rivers as "Polluted", "Acceptable", and "Slightly Polluted", which is comparable with the reported CPCB classification as well as with the statistical index CCME-WQI. The methodology developed is general and can be applied to any subjective index. This is exemplified by dynamically weighting the parameters in NSF-WQI for Red and Waikato rivers. Dynamic weighting system provides a true representation to comprehend water quality classification and to achieve River Quality Objectives.