EXTON, PA, Jan 8, 2015 – Bentley Systems has received two patents for technology used in its WaterGEMS analysis and design software that extends the capabilities of hydraulic modeling for water distribution systems.

The first patented technology, developed by Bentley Fellow Dr. Zheng Yi Wu and four co-inventors, provides a system for pressure-dependent demand optimization for leak detection. The second patented technology, developed by Bentley Fellow Dr. Thomas Walski and eight co-inventors, provides a system for analyzing the criticality of elements in a water distribution system.

Commenting on the criticality analysis software patent, Dr. Walski explained, “Various investigators have tried to identify which infrastructure in a water system is of key importance by simply removing individual pipe links from a model without accounting for the location of valves. This review can cause misleading results. With WaterGEMS’ criticality analysis, an engineer can look at the failure of individual components more realistically and make better decisions as to the impact of various component outages.”

Commenting on Bentley’s patented leakage detection technology, Dr. Wu said, “Existing leak-detection techniques, such as step-testing or acoustic devices, require a lot of apparatus and personnel. With the effective and rapid prediction of the most likely leakage locations, site investigations can be focused on model-identified leakage hotspots.”