Techno-Economic Analysis of BESS for Transient Pressure Control in 

Water Supply Rising Mains

Araxá Engenharia, Brazil

Abstract: This study analyzes the technical and economic feasibility of using Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) as an alternative to hydropneumatic tanks for controlling transient pressures in pumping systems. The methodology involved computational modeling of hydraulic transients in a 400 mm diameter ductile iron pipeline, with a total length of 10,346 meters, connected to a pumping station with a nominal flow rate of 200 LPS and a head of 285 meters. Two scenarios were compared: (i) the use of hydropneumatic tanks (HPT) combined with a bidirectional surge tank (BST); and (ii) the implementation of a BESS, enabling gradual pump shutdown. Results indicated that the BESS, by facilitating a 4-minute ramp-down, reduced the peak pressure by 155.31 mwc and maintained a minimum pressure of 1.7 mwc, successfully preventing vacuum formation. In contrast, the HPT solution reduced peak pressure by 134.44 mwc but resulted in a subpressure of -3.5 mwc, necessitating additional BST installation. Furthermore, the BESS demonstrated a lower total lifecycle cost compared to the HPT/BST alternative. The study concludes that BESS is an effective and innovative solution for mitigating hydraulic transients, offering superior technical performance and cost-effectiveness while enhancing the safety and reliability of water supply systems.