Author(s): Ali Khajavian; Biniam Abrha Tsegay; Nicolas M Peleato

Linked Author(s):

Keywords: Digital twin; SCADA integration; Water quality calibration; Chlorine residual

Abstract: A well-calibrated hydraulic model is foundational to realizing digital-twin benefits in water distribution systems. Such a model supports improved system management via state estimation and scenario analysis. The principal bottleneck is integrating heterogeneous monitored data (different variables, sampling rates, and locations) so the model reflects current system conditions. This study addresses that gap by using real-time SCADA hydraulics and chlorine monitoring to calibrate both flows and residuals in an operational network. The workflow partitions the network with overlapping flow meters to adjust demand patterns, then clusters pipes and nodes by sensor proximity to tune decay rates. The calibrated model is used to time-align simulations with sensor data, compute water age, and evaluate the relationship between water age and chlorine, testing the adequacy of chlorine estimation models such as first order decay. Preliminary results indicate that real-time flow calibration achieves ~90% agreement with observations, while chlorine matching attains roughly 0.1 mg/L mean absolute error. Taken together, the approach demonstrates a practical path to fuse hydraulic and quality data for a SCADA-informed digital twin and highlights where additional sensing or model refinements are needed to improve residual predictions.

DOI:

Year: 2026