TABLE OF CONTENTS The use of water in these systems is much like the general use of water in our civilization. Water has been plentiful and cheap, so why not use it? Now the cost of energy to move water through these systems is no longer less than a penny a kWH, and water itself should be conserved. Conservation must be practiced, and we have the tools to achieve the efficient use of pumping energy in our water systems. The development of digital electronics has opened the door to the achievement of higher efficiency for this movement of water. The elimination of energy-consuming mechanical devices, the use of variable-speed pumps, newer pipe materials, and the development of better information on pipe friction have reduced the energy consumption required for the distribution of water.
This chapter will review the design considerations that are common to all of these systems. Individual chapters will be devoted to the specific design requirements for each of the water systems. Energy consumption is a major concern for most of these systems.
The advent of digital electronics as discussed in Chap. 1 provides the means to determine rapidly the efficient use of pumping energy for all water systems. It remains for us to develop what is efficient use and what is not. Following are...
