Dynamic Pressure Regulation in Water Distribution Systems through Remote Critical Node Control: A Case Study

This paper presents a field-oriented methodology for modeling and controlling pressure regulation, demonstrated on a real water distribution network (WDN) sector. The aim is to provide a practical and reproducible pathway from field measurements to deployable real-time pressure control, addressing the gap between simulator-based numerical studies and full-scale field implementations. The study covers data-driven dynamic modeling, controller design, and pre-deployment performance assessment using real operational data. A low-order linear dynamic model with transport delay is identified directly from field measurements, combining 20 days of pressure and inflow data with step-response tests performed on an existing pressure-reducing valve (PRV). The model is validated against an independent 24-h dataset of real consumption, achieving a maximum deviation of approximately ±1 m H2O at the remote critical node, which is adequate for control-oriented modeling and controller synthesis. Based on the identified model, a digital reference signal tracking (RST) controller with a Smith predictor is designed using explicit performance specifications for settling time, overshoot, and bandwidth. The controller is evaluated in silico using real consumption data not used during identification, providing an unbiased assessment of closed-loop performance under representative demand variability. Results show that the proposed strategy maintains pressure at the remote critical node within acceptable bounds while effectively rejecting demand-induced disturbances. Although closed-loop field implementation is beyond the scope of this study, the framework is explicitly conceived as a preparatory step for real-time deployment. The main conclusion is that a transparent, data-driven methodology grounded in field measurements can reduce modeling and tuning effort while yielding controller designs compatible with standard programmable logic controller (PLC) and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) platforms, enabling utilities to progress systematically toward practical real-time pressure control.