New mathematical model for computing head loss across sand media filter for microirrigation systems

Abstract

Dimensional analysis was used to develop a new mathematical model that can describe head loss across sand filters for microirrigation using parameters that are easy to estimate. The developed model was compared with others previously developed. The study revealed that the new mathematical model had an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.995 with no obvious pattern in its residual plot, in addition to other statistical parameters that revealed high precision and accuracy. Furthermore, the study exposed that the new developed model and the previously developed ones are adequate for computing head loss across sand filters. The selection among various models depends primarily on the available information about the microirrigation system and the applied effluent characteristics.