The Application of the ‘K-Nearest Neighbour’ Method to Evaluate Pressure Loss in Water Supply Lines

Water supply systems are complex engineering structures; certainly, the most important part is the water distribution network. The design of this element requires calculations and many analyses to arrive at the best solution. The main task of the calculation is to determine the flow rates through pipes, to determine pressure losses, height of tanks, pressure required in the supply pumping station, pressure levels in the individual nodes of the network. Correct execution of the calculations requires careful evaluation of the results obtained and accuracy in the solutions applied. The issue of controlling the results of calculations is difficult to present in algorithmic form as these are mainly based on the experience and knowledge of the designer. Classes of decisions describing the problems of pressure loss in the pipework were established in order to evaluate the results of calculations. Numerical experiments were carried out in this paper to show how the ‘K-nearest neighbour’ method can be used to evaluate pressure loss in water pipes.