THT300 Planning and Design of Urban Water Systems

Credits (ECTS):15

Course responsible:Kim Aleksander Haukeland Paus

Campus / Online:Taught campus Ås

Teaching language:Norsk

Course frequency:Annually

Nominal workload:For a course of 15 credits, ca. 375 hours of work in total is normally to be expected.

Teaching and exam period:This course starts in the autumn parallel. This course has teaching/evaluation in the autumn parallel.

About this course

The course covers methods for analysis, planning, dimensioning and design of urban systems for water, sewage, stormwater and streams. The course is divided into four sections:

A. Transport systems for water and sewage. Pipe hydraulics, water quality changes in the pipe network, planning, design and modeling of drinking water networks. Relevant analysis tools: EPANET.

B. Discharge models: Rainfall-runoff models, precipitation statistics, frequency analysis, climate change, terrain analysis, infiltration and other hydrologic processes, flood assessments, calibration and validation of models. Relevant analysis tools and methods: SCALGO Live, SWMM, SWMMR, DDDUrban, NEVINA and PQRUT.

C. Urban stormwater management and drainage systems: The three-step strategy, laws, regulations, planning, discharge regulation and detention, individual measures and complex systems, nature-based solutions, sources, spread and removal of pollution, climate adaptation, economics, blue-green factor and sustainability. Relevant analysis tools: SWMM and SWMMR.

D. Open channel flow: Flow situations, water-surface profile calculations, 2D surface flow, channel and floodway design, risk acceptance for urban flooding, assessment of erosion risk and critical rock size, reopening of closed watercourses and culvert hydraulics. Relevant analysis tools: HEC-RAS 1D, HEC-RAS 2D, HY-8.

Compulsory assignments related to the course will give students a good introduction to the mentioned analysis tools, as well as machine learning applied for these analyses (optimization through differential evolution, multiobjective optimization through nsga-i, artificial neural networks etc.)

Learning outcome

1. Discharge models

The candidate:

  • Has a good understanding of rainfall-runoff modeling and field processes.
  • Can process datasets for observations and knows the principles of frequency analysis.
  • Can calculate discharge using several models and evaluate results against the necessary input data, assumptions, validity and uncertainty.
  • Knows principles for how models can be calibrated and validated.

2. Urban stormwater management and drainage systems

The candidate:

  • Can identify regulatory requirements and propose, assess and design solutions that meet requirements.
  • Can design individual measures and complex drainage systems for different steps in the three-step strategy and identify bottlenecks and weaknesses in such systems.
  • Has an understanding of how cost-benefit assessment can be carried out and how sustainability can be promoted in projects.
  • Has knowledge of water quality in stormwater and can account for sources, spreading mechanisms and removal processes of pollution.

3. Open channel flow

The candidate:

  • Has a good understanding of concepts and terms within open channel flow.
  • Can use manual methods and analysis tools to calculate water surface profiles for both rapidly and gradually varying flow, knows the assumptions of such methods and can use the knowledge to assess and design channels.
  • Knows different methods for calculating critical rock size and can use these to assess the risk of erosion.
  • Has knowledge of flow types in culverts and can use analysis tools to assess hydraulic capacity and culvert design.

4. Water supply

The candidate:

  • Has a good understanding of pipe hydraulics and can calculate hydraulics in non-circular cross-sections, pipes in series, pipes in parallel and friction losses using different methods.
  • Has knowledge of flow in the drinking water network and can carry out manual calculations and analyzes for simple networks.
  • Knows the main principles of network modeling and can use analysis tools to assess and design complex networks based on functional requirements.
  • Has knowledge of water quality changes in the drinking water network.
  • (1) Short videos of current topics, (2) problem-based solving and discussions in class, (3) calculation assignments and training in analysis tools in class, (4) guidance hours if a teaching assistant is available, (5) compulsory assignments related to each section of the course , (6) local field survey, (7) excursion to Oslo, (8) seminar at the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE).
  • There will be some time set apart in some of the lectures for assistance with the compulsory assignments.
  • Knowledge of fluid mechanics/hydraulics equivalent to the pair of courses TPS200 and TPS210. Knowledge of water and wastewater engineering equivalent to the course THT261. Basic knowledge of hydrology equivalent to VANN200.
    • Compulsory assignments (49 %) during the semester
    • Written exam (51 %) which can include both multiple-choice questions (MCQ) and individual questions during the exam period.

    Grade scale: A-F

  • The external and internal examiner jointly prepare the exam questions and the correction manual. The external examiner reviews the internal examiner's examination results by correcting a random sample of candidates exams as a calibration according to the Faculty's guidelines for examination markings.
  • Four compulsory (and counting towards the final grade) assignments related to the four sections in the course.
  • Lectures with integrated exercises: approx. 80 hours. 1-day excursion to NVE and 1-day field trip. Problem solving sessions: approx. 20 - 30 hours if a teaching assistant is available.
  • Letter grades
  • Special requirements in Science.