Actual Discharge Research Articles

Semi-circular flap gate as a flow metering structure in circular channels

This research proposes slit and solid semi-circular flap gates for discharge measurement along the circular channels under free flow condition. A top-hinged flap gate deflects by flowing water against its weight due to the flow hydrodynamic forces. The deflection angle of the semi-circular flap gate can be considered as either independent variable or dependent variable. Two models are proposed for the stage-discharge relation based on the Buckingham's theorem of dimensional analysis. The first model considers the deflection angle as an independent variable while the second model considers it as a dependent variable. A series of laboratory experiments (254 runs) were performed to investigate the flow process of slit and solid semi-circular flap gates located along of two horizontal, circular pipes. Using the data collected from two pipes of nominal diameters 20 and 30 cm, the proposed models were calibrated. The first model has an average error less than 2.5%, while the second general model has an average error about 2.55%, thus actual discharge through the circular channels can be accurately estimated using the proposed stage-discharge equations. The results showed that viscosity effects are significant in second model, while these effects are important in first model only for slit flap gates. The proposed inline flap gate offers a simple and reliable discharge measurement approach with acceptable accuracy.

Comparison of two glycemic discharge goals in ED patients with hyperglycemia, a randomized trial

Study objectiveHyperglycemia is commonly encountered in the ED; the importance of glucose reduction in patients well enough to be discharged is unknown. MethodsWe conducted a prospective, randomized trial of ED patients with hyperglycemia with a glucose value 400–600 mg/dL who were discharged from the ED, excluding those with type 1 diabetes mellitus. Patients were randomly assigned to a discharge glucose goal, <350 mg/dL (moderate control) or < 600 mg/dL (loose control). The primary outcome was ED length of stay. ResultsAmong 110 enrolled patients, 57 were assigned to moderate and 53 to loose glycemic control. Median (IQR) length of stay was 211 min (177–288 min) for the moderate group and 216 min (151–269 min) for the loose group (difference, 17 min [95% CI −15 to 49 min]). ED length of stay for those with an actual discharge glucose <350 mg/dL was 29 min longer (95% CI −1 to 59 min). Repeat ED visits for hyperglycemia (7% vs 6%), hospitalization for hyperglycemia (0% vs 2%), and hospitalization for any reason (4% vs 8%) did not differ significantly between groups. ConclusionIn the intention-to-treat analysis, ED length of stay and 7-day outcomes were not significantly different whether moderate or loose glycemic control was pursued. However, the length of stay for those with discharge glucose <350 mg/dL was approximately 29 min longer. ED glycemic control did not appear to be associated negative short-term outcomes. Glucose reduction in well-appearing ED patients may consume time and resources without conferring short- or long-term benefits.Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.govNCT02478190

Study on the Image Observation Method and Characteristics of Soil Discharge Process Under Multiple Impulse Currents

There are multiple discharges in one breakdown during a lightning incident. A lightning incident usually contains 3–5 return strokes. In this case, the lightning incident will not be well simulated by the first stroke. To date, a single impulse current waveform has been used to simulate the lightning impulse incident in research on the lightning impulse characteristics of soils, leading to some differences with observations of actual lightning discharges. In this paper, a time-delayed control technique and a controlled gaps-group isolation technique were used to produce the multiple high-impulse currents discharge to a soil sample, while nonintrusive X-ray imaging technology was used to obtain images of the discharge channel in the soil. The impulse characteristics of the soil under multiple impulse currents are studied. The differences between the discharge characteristics of the soil under multiple impulse currents and a single pulse are compared. It can be found that there has been a reduction in the effective soil resistivity under multiple impulse currents, and this reduction will be recovered over time. At the same time, a brief analysis of the discharge mechanism of the soil under multiple impulse currents is proposed, based on analysis of X-ray images of discharge channels.

Character of extreme high tide level variations response to coastline deformation in Taizhou Bay

Taizhou Bay, which locates in the southern coast of China, is frequently influenced by human activities, leading coastline changes frequently in coastline changes visible from space. Coastline deformation in this area will obviously affect the character of extreme high tide level variations in Jiaojiang River and Estuary especially during flood and typhoon periods. Statistic data showed that 54.5% of the extreme high tide levels of Jiaojiang River were caused by typhoon and 27.3% by flood in the past twenty-two years. So, a two-dimensional (2-D) hydrodynamic numerical model including Jiaojiang River and East China Sea was established based on the Mike21 FM model. The model was calibrated with field data and then was employed to predict the extreme flood and storm high tide level changes under three different assumption plans of coastline deformation. 100-year return discharge upstream with 2-year return tide level downstream conditions were set in the model to simulate extreme flood level changes, while Typhoon 0414 with actual discharge upstream were considered to simulate extreme storm high tide level variations. According to the flood level changes simulating results, an increase of 0.01∼0.03 m in extreme flood level will happen in river section and estuarine section and a decrease of 0.01∼0.06 m will occur outside estuarine section. Predictions of the typhoon conditions show that an increase of 0.01∼0.15 m in extreme storm high tide level will happen in both river and estuarine sections with a decrease of 0.01∼0.03 m outside of the Jiaojiang Estuary. Further analysis from tide wave point illustrates that propagation direction of nearshore tide wave in Taizhou Bay will be turned by coastline deformation, thus reflection effect of tide wave will be weakened, while distribution of storm tide currents field changes shows that tidal influx of Jiaojiang Estuary increases due to the blocking effect of the seawalls, causing this kind of special extreme high tide level changing formation.

Modelling spark-plug discharge in dry air

This work presents a novel numerical strategy for studying the electric discharge produced by a vehicular spark plug in dry air. For such a task an axial symmetric 2D domain is used. The starting gas mixture is formed by molecular nitrogen and oxygen (8:2 ratio). The mathematical model considers heat and species diffusion and convection jointly with a discrete sub-model for energy transfer in electronic, atomic and molecular collisions. Chemical reactions between species are also included. Solutions of source terms is accomplished in the frame of ZDPlaskin, a zero-dimensional plasma modelling tool. The used plasmo-chemical kinetics model includes 53 species and 430 processes. Experimental properties from an actual spark plug discharge are introduced to the simulation. Spatio-temporal evolution of species concentrations are obtained within this model. Gas temperature evolution and species distribution is discussed and compare with available values in literature.

HYDROLOGICAL MODELLING FOR KHUSHKHERA-BHIWADI-NEEMRANA INVESTMENT REGION, RAJASTHAN USING SWAT

In India the availability of accurate information of observed runoff is insufficient. However due to water scarcity great emphasis is now placed on preparation of proper watershed management program for conservation and development of land and water management. For the present study, watershed spanning Jaipur and Alwar districts of Rajasthan state of India, with outlet in Khushkhera-Bhiwadi-Neemrana Investment Region (KBNIR) in Rajasthan, under proposed Delhi-Mumbai freight corridor has been selected as the study area for deriving the optimum water use policies. Basic data of the study area were generated with the help of freely available remotely sensed information. Total watershed area is 2995.84 km2, in which 73.27% is agriculture area. The major soil in watershed area is older alluvial soil. On digitization, ArcSWAT created four hundred sixty four hydrological response units by defining unique combinations of the land use, soil cover and slope conditions. By providing all theinputs for model set up, SWAT model was run for the period of thirty five years (1979–2014). Result of actual evapotranspiration and discharge is validated with the output of other modelling exercises of same area. Total average annual surface runoff is calculated to be 94.79 mm out of which highest average monthly runoff is 34.79 mm in the month of July. Total average runoff for the monsoon month is 92.55 mm which is 97.63% of total runoff. Output of this model can be utilized for development of optimum water resource and agricultural management policies of newly development of KBNIR.

Integrated optimization model in wire electric discharge machining using Gaussian process regression and wolf pack algorithm approach while machining SiCp/Al composite

To further improve prediction accuracy and optimization quality of wire electrical discharge machining of SiCp/Al composite, trim cuts were performed using Taguchi experiment method to investigate the influence of cutting parameters, such as pulse duration ( Ton), pulse interval ( Toff), water pressure ( Wp), and wire tension ( Wt)), on material removal rate and three-dimensional surface characteristics ( Sq and Sa). An optimization model to predict material removal rate and surface quality was developed using a novel hybrid Gaussian process regression and wolf pack algorithm approach based on experiment results. Compared with linear regression model and back propagation neural network, the availability of Gaussian process regression is confirmed by experimental data. Results show that the worst average predictive error of five independent tests for material removal rate, Sq, and Sa are not more than 10.66%, 19.85%, and 22.4%, respectively. The proposed method in this article is an effective method to optimize the process parameters for guiding the actual wire electrical discharge machining process.

Independent Prescribing Pharmacists Supporting the Early Discharge of Patients Through Completion of Medical Discharge Summaries

Purpose: Independent prescribing pharmacists are able to independently prescribe medications following additional postgraduate training. This study examined their use in completing medical discharge summaries, normally completed by junior doctors, in order to assess their impact on expedited hospital discharge times. Methods: In total, 163 patients were studied through a 2-stage audit. The first cycle evaluated junior doctors completing medical discharge summaries (as is normal practice). Three independent prescribing pharmacists were then trained to complete discharge summaries, and a second cycle was completed. Results: Following implementation of independent prescribing pharmacists to complete medical discharge summaries, the time from medical decision to discharge to summary completion dropped significantly (mean of 2:42 hours to 1:35 hours, P < .001). The time from medical decision to discharge to actual hospital discharge also dropped significantly (mean of 5:21 hours to 3:58 hours, P < .01). The number of discharge summary medication errors dropped significantly (P < .05) between audit cycles. Conclusion: The introduction of independent prescribing pharmacists to complete medical discharge summaries has significantly reduced the time to summary completion, discharge time, and the number of medication errors. In a time of limited medical resources and bed shortages, the use of allied health professionals to improve service delivery is of paramount importance. This project is the first of its kind within the literature.

Machine learning approach for discharge estimation in compound channels

ABSTRACT During high stages in rivers, water flanks its banks and inundates its adjoining floodplains. This creates difference in depth of flow between the main channel and floodplains making the flow behaviour complex, thus leading to inaccuracies in estimation of discharge. At this stage, the section of the stream is termed as compound channel. Assessment of actual discharge carrying capacity in river sections always has its special importance as it has direct impact on planning, operational and management problems. Due to lack of observed river data at these high stages, simulation is usually relied on the experimental outputs. Present study tries to simulate quantum of flow observed in the laboratory in compound sections for different roughness with actual river flow. Using soft computing techniques, predictions have been carried out successfully and the results are compared with various traditional approaches. In this study a common platform is used with low stage channel data to high stage river data with different hydraulic characteristics using 11 types of approaches for discharge prediction. Out of all the methods used, ANFIS model performs best with high degree of coefficient of correlation (R) as 0.99 with mean square error of 0.164

Perforated Weir for Effective Operation – A Study

The excess water during monsoon season in the river is retained using low dams and it overflows through weirs. Maintaining the water depth at the required level and increasing the discharge from the weir are the current problems facing now a days. To overcome these problems, a novel sharp crested perforated weir has been developed in this work with different shapes of perforations viz. circle, rectangle, square and triangle having same area of perforation. A total of 24 models were made with single, double, triple opening for each shape, under two different sets of area of openings. The models were examined in a hydraulic tilting flume by keeping the discharge as constant. The variation in head obtained from these perforated weirs for different shapes were compared with a control weir which is a sharp crested rectangular weir. The expected theoretical discharge from these perforated weirs is compared with the actual discharge obtained. The values of coefficient of discharge for different perforated weirs were obtained by minimizing the error and the effective perforated weir is arrived by analyzing the values. This solution can be applied in solving practical problems.

The time-dependent simulation of CFETR baseline steady-state scenarios

One of the key issues to achieve the phase I mission of China fusion engineering test reactor (CFETR) is steady-state operation with a modest fusion power up to 200 MW. To study this feasibility, time-dependent modeling of CFETR baseline scenario is performed. The time-dependent scenario design examines actual discharge features, including auxiliary heating and current drive scheme, equilibrium, transport, PF coil systems and plasma control system during the plasma evolution. During plasma current ramp-up, 10 MW of EC or LH heating is used to effectively save volt–second consumption to a reasonable level within magnet coil capability and to reduce li for better plasma control. Three reference scenarios are designed to target full non-inductive operation with different external heating and current drive (H&CD), which are NB + EC, NB + LH, and LH + EC, respectively. Two scenarios with neutral beams reach the required fusion power of CFETR phase I target, while for LH + EC scenario the fusion power and confinement is somewhat lower. A reversed magnetic shear with is sustained with off-axis current drive and bootstrap current for all cases examined. Ideal MHD analysis shows that both large toroidal mode number n ballooning mode and low n kink mode are stable in the three reference cases independent of whether the current is totally relaxed or not. The L mode and H–L back transition ramp-down are designed to successfully reduce the plasma current to 2 MA and keep li below 2 with ramp-down rate of 80 kA s−1. The H–L back transition ramp-down yields improvements in the power transfer and coil current evolution as well as the li evolution. The heating and current drive characteristics of three auxiliary heating sources are indicated by scanning studies. A 2D scan of NB energy and tangency radius indicates the features of NB power deposition, current drive, torque and shine through issue. Both ramp-up and flattop are considered in the scanning of radio frequency parameters. For EC waves, the ramp-up phase constrains the parameter space more. The 2D scan of EC launch angle shows that EC waves launched above the midplane yield a better CD efficiency than using a midplane launcher. Specifically, 10 MW of EC waves launched from LFS above the midplane yield a maximum on axis driven current of about 0.55 MA, while waves launched from top yield a maximum near edge driven current of about 0.45 MA in the region of . Scanning of in LH spectrum shows that should be set around 1.7 to get enough penetration (inside ) for current drive and avoid strong accessibility problem. It is found that LH waves launched from HFS drives more current than that launched from LFS when is small. The maximum LH driven current reaches 1.1 MA with 10 MW of LH power launched from HFS.

Readiness for Discharge After F&amp;A Surgery Using Peripheral Nerve Blocks

Category: Other Introduction/Purpose: Neuraxial anesthesia is often viewed as superior to general anesthesia (GA), but there are concerns that it may prolong length of stay (LOS). Most studies comparing the two anesthesias were performed in the absence of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs), which when used as an analgesic adjunct may overcome the associated negative side effects of GA and allow decreased LOS. We hypothesized that patients given PNBs and GA would be discharged sooner than patients given PNBs and spinal anesthesia plus sedation, without increased incidence of adverse side effects such as pain, opioid administration and nausea. Methods: A single-center triple-blinded randomized controlled trial of 36 consecutive patients receiving elective F&amp;A surgery predicted to take 1-3 hours under planned PNB with either spinal or GA was performed (see table 1. for demographics).The primary outcome was time to meet criteria for home discharge. The a priori clinically relevant difference with 80% power was determined to be 45 minutes. Patients were assessed after admission to the PACU and at 15-minute intervals thereafter. Once an Aldrete score=9 (scale signifying patient no longer needs intensive monitoring) was obtained, patients were transferred to Phase II and assessed until the post anesthesia discharge scoring system, a home readiness scale, was =9. Actual time to discharge was also recorded.Additional outcomes included a series of baseline characterizations which were assessed pre-and post-operatively, and again during Phase II.The primary outcome was compared using multivariable unconditional quantile regression. Various regressions were performed on secondary outcomes. Results: After adjustment for age and surgical duration, patients given GA plus PNB were ready for discharge from PACU 39 minutes prior to patients given neuraxial anesthesia plus PNB, but this difference did not reach the clinically relevant a priori selected difference of 45 minutes (Table 1). However, the adjusted median time to meet ambulation discharge criteria was 52 minutes fewer (p = 0.003) (Table 1). Patients met discharge criteria substantially sooner than their time until actual discharge which was not different between groups (Table 1). Pain scores at rest were higher among GA patients at 1 hour in the PACU (adjusted difference in means [95% CI]: 2.1 [1.0, 3.2], p &lt; 0.001). Subsequent pain scores and all other secondary outcomes were not different. Conclusion: GA with PNB patients were ready for discharge 39 minutes earlier, but that difference may not be clinically significant. Although patients met criteria for discharge sooner due to a significantly more rapid ability to ambulate, they were not discharged sooner because PACU staff was not acclimated to the earlier readiness and so did not push for earlier discharge. These findings suggest that GA plus PNB leads to earlier discharge with similar side effects as spinal plus PNB. Therefore, the use of GA with PNB for foot and ankle surgeries could save the hospital and the patient time and resources.

A Data-Driven Particle Filter For Lithium-Ion Batteries State-Of-Life Prognosis

In recent years, Lithium-Ion rechargeable batteries have quickly become the most popular portable power sources, with applications ranging from consumer electronics (smartphones, laptops, etc.) to electric vehicles and unmanned aerial/space vehicles. Indeed, Li-ion batteries are subject to degradation over time, in particular due to the irreversibility of the electro-chemical processes driving their functioning. The deterioration of the performances is further worsened by the operational and environmental boundary conditions in which they operate (e.g. discharge rates, usage and storage temperatures, etc.). The consequences of unexpected failures due to degradation may range from mild, for example in consumer electronics, to very severe, if not catastrophic, in particular in aerospace applications, both from the economical and the safety points of view. In this context, the prediction of future degradation performances of the batteries plays a fundamental role. In this work, we exploit a recently introduced prognostic algorithmic scheme, which combines the real-time prediction capabilities of particle filters with the flexibility and simplicity of feed-forward neural networks, for adaptively predicting the State-of-Life (SOL), i.e. the capacity, of Li-Ion batteries, on the basis of past and current capacity observations. The major advantage of the proposed method lies in the fact that the algorithm automatically adapts to different degradation dynamics, without the need to derive and/or calibrate any physics-based model. The method is demonstrated with reference to actual Li-Ion battery discharge data taken both from the prognostics data repository of the NASA Ames Research Center database and from literature.

Non-uniform grid based LBM for the Saint-Venant equations

A novel form of the lattice Boltzmann method for the Saint-Venant equations (LABSVE) is formulated and implemented. To eliminate equidistant property of the lattice structure being the major drawback of the LBM, and thus establish the LB model as tool for practical application (natural water bodies) fully competitive compared to the presently available computational models, new form of equilibrium distribution function (EDF) based on geometrically transformed Saint-Venant equations (SVE) is derived. Introducing the metric relation function between the physical and computational system, the non-uniform spatial discretization is managed by solving the transformed SVE rather than altering the symmetrical properties of lattice structure. Since the geometrical correlation between the two corresponding systems is introduced into the transformed SVE, the very basic structure of the LBM in terms of simplicity in implementing the boundary conditions and computational efficiency (owing to the parallel structure) is maintained and further improved by removing the limitations imposed by the equidistant lattice condition. Furthermore, the discharge-water level definition of the SVE as more applicable form when natural watercourses are considered, is applied. In this way the bed slope term is completely eliminated from the equations, establishing therefore a model more suitable for natural systems characterized by arbitrary cross sectional geometry. In order to test the proposed non-equidistant LABSVE model, steady flow in prismatic channel, unsteady flow in non-prismatic channel of simple cross section geometry, and unsteady flow along a Danube section is modelled. Additional simulations by using the HEC-RAS modelling tool are conducted in order to produce comparison basis for both unsteady simulations, while in case of the Danube River section actual water level and discharge measurements are additionally used for calibration and verification of the model. Very good agreement between compared results is obtained showing that the proposed non-equidistant form of the LABSVE is capable of solving complex environmental problems, maintaining the order of accuracy, simplicity and efficiency of the basic LBM.

Оцінювання впливу водоканалізаційного господарства міста Мостиська на якість води у річці Вишня

Для оцінювання впливу каналізаційних очисних споруд міста Мостиська на річку Вишня розрахунковими методами визначено мінімальні розрахункові витрати води за лімітуючими сезонами року; на основі заміряних морфометричних характеристик русла розраховано швидкість руху води у річці; проведено гідрохімічні дослідження зворотних вод очисних споруд на випуску та природних вод у фоновому створі вище випуску і у розрахунковому створі нижче випуску; для літньо-осінньої та зимової межені на основі гідроморфометричних характеристик русла розраховано кратність розведення зворотних вод природними; за допомогою комп'ютерної програми "Гідросфера" спрогнозовано концентрації забруднювальних речовин у розрахунковому створі при фактичному скиді у лімітуючі сезони року з використанням математичної моделі динаміки концентрації речовини у водотоці; для визначення асиміляційної здатності річки-приймача зворотних вод виконано розрахунок максимальних допустимих концентрацій забруднювачів до скиду у водний об'єкт за лімітуючими сезонами року за умови досягнення гранично допустимої, або фонової концентрації у розрахунковому створі. Встановлено, що природний водний об'єкт здатний асимілювати забруднення в обсягах, що у кілька разів, а за окремими показниками у десятки разів, перевищують фактичний скид. Проте за основним забруднювачем – органікою, асиміляційна здатність річки вичерпана повністю.

Survival of Patients With Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Treated Without Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Case series have reported favorable outcomes with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. However, those patients were generally young, with few comorbid conditions. To characterize the clinical features and survival rates of patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome who met criteria for ECMO but were managed without it. Patients who met the study criteria were identified prospectively. Inclusion criteria for ECMO included severe hypoxemia, uncompensated hypercapnia, or elevated end-inspiratory plateau pressures despite low tidal volume ventilation. Predicted survival rates with ECMO were calculated using the Respiratory ECMO Survival Prediction score. Of the 46 patients who met the criteria for severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and ECMO consideration, 5 received ECMO and 16 patients had at least 1 contraindication to it. The remaining 25 patients met ECMO criteria but did not receive the treatment. The patients' mean age was 53.5 (SD, 14.3) years; 84% had at least 1 major comorbid condition. The median predicted survival rate with ECMO was 57%. The actual hospital discharge survival rate without ECMO was 56%. The general medical intensive care patient population with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome is older and sicker than patients reported in prior case series in which patients were treated with ECMO. In this study, the survival rate without ECMO was similar to predicted survival rates with ECMO.

Power prediction method of lithium-ion battery for unmanned vehicles based on combined constraint intelligence algorithm

For the inaccurate data predicting problem of the actual attainable maximum charge and discharge power of the lithium-ion battery in practice for unmanned vehicles in the process of running, a combined constraint intelligence algorithm is proposed based on the result of SOC, the battery voltage and the battery current. In view of the hysteresis characteristics of lithium-ion battery presented in the charge and discharge process, a second-order RC hysteresis model was proposed in this paper. In addition, we used the cubature Kalman filter algorithm to estimate the state of charge (SOC) of the battery based on this model, which reduced both the model error and algorithmic error in the SOC estimation significantly. It is also of great importance to accurately predict the state of power (SOP). Then the result of SOC, the battery voltage and the battery current were settled as constraints to predict the actual attainable maximum charge and discharge power of the lithium-ion battery in practice. Compared with the pulse discharge/charge test method and he hybrid pulse power characterization (HPPC) method, the combined constraint intelligence algorithm proposed in this paper is of high accuracy in the process of predicting the battery power.

The NICE-GUT trial protocol: a randomised, placebo controlled trial of oral nitazoxanide for the empiric treatment of acute gastroenteritis among Australian Aboriginal children

IntroductionDiarrhoeal disease is the second leading cause of death in children under 5 years globally, killing 525 000 annually. Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (hereafter Aboriginal) children suffer a...

Strategic Sustainable Management for Water Transmission System: A SWOT-QSPM Analysis

In general, the problem of a water resources infrastructure, especially the raw water transmission system, is that the actual discharge is not in accordance with design discharge because of water losses along the transmission system.To restore the capacity to the design discharge, a comprehensive strategy is required. Various strategy methods have been developed especially the strategy of managing a system. This paper discusses how to analyze the comprehensive strategy with system component approach for water transmission system. The research used Klambu-Kudu Water Transmission System in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia as a case study. Strategy analysis of Klambu-Kudu Water Transmission System utilized the modified Strength, Weakness, Opportunity, and Threats (SWOT) with Likert scale and Quantitative Strategic Planning Matrix (QSPM) method. SWOT analysis is was carried out to obtain a comprehensive strategy on each component of the water transmission system (intake, mud pouch, siphon, gutter, bridge, culvert, regulator doors, suppletion, drain pipe, and / or excavation), while the QSPM method is required to analyze the strategic priorities of component of Klambu Kudu Water Transmission System. Key factors of water transmission system performance were obtained from the discussion of experts, the management of Klambu Kudu Water Transmission System and the community. The results are a priority of strategies which are dominated by the opportunity factors to solve the problem of weakness (operation and maintenance, sedimentation, damage) and threats (water theft, destruction of buildings, flood) as well as maximizing the strengths (condition of the component, function, accessibility).

Performance Evaluation of Infield Sprinkler Irrigation System under Existing Condition in Beles Sugar Development Project, Ethiopia

In Beles Sugar Development Project sugar cane fields was faced poor irrigation water management that under watering in most fields, dry spot and over watering in rare fields were observed. Therefore, the main objective of this study was evaluating the performance of infield sprinkler irrigation system under existing condition. The actual water application uniformity was measured for single and four overlapping sprinklers by installing catch can at a grid spacing of 3 × 3 m with two replications at hydrant pressure of 2.5 and 3.0 bars. The performance parameters analyzed were, uniformity coefficient (CU), distribution uniformity (DU), and system uniformity, pressure and discharge variation along laterals also analyzed. The average actual DU and CU obtained at 3 and 2.5 bars at existing sprinkler spacing of 18 m ×18 m was 53% and 63% respectively. The value of CU was lower than the recommended value of 75%. In order to determine alternate sprinkler spacing’s under existing working condition, the catch can data for single sprinkler were overlapped for different spacing’s whereas respective DU and CU were estimated. For both 2.5 and 3 bar operating pressure; 12 × 18 m, 12 × 12 m, 18 × 12 and 9 × 12 m sprinkler spacing’s were in between good and excellent acceptable range. Keeping in view economy, wider spacing, 12 × 12 m is recommended to have excellent water distribution with CU equal to 85% and 87% at operating pressure of 2.5 bar and 3.0 bar respectively. The actual average sprinkler discharge variation along laterals was above and out of the range accepted value up to 10%, whereas the actual average pressure variation along laterals is within the accepted range value of 20% but in some field laterals other than the test area, the variation was above the accepted range value of up to 20%.