Agricultural Pumping Research Articles

Anthropogenic-Induced Changes in the Mechanism of Drylands Ephemeral Stream Recharge, Western Saudi Arabia

Wadi aquifers in Saudi Arabia historically have been recharged primarily by channel loss (infiltration) during floods. Historically, seasonal groundwater levels fluctuated from land surface to about 3 m below the surface. Agricultural irrigation pumping has lowered the water table up to 35 m below the surface. The geology surrounding the fluvial system at Wadi Qidayd consists of pelitic Precambrian rocks that contribute sediments ranging in size from mud to boulders to the alluvium. Sediments within the wadi channel consist of fining upward, downstream-dipping beds, causing channel floodwaters to pass through several sediment sequences, including several mud layers, before it can reach the water table. Investigation of the wadi aquifer using field observation, geological characterization, water-level monitoring, geophysical profiles, and a hypothetical model suggests a critical water level has been reached that affects the recharge of the aquifer. The wetted front can no longer reach the water table due to the water uptake in the wetting process, downstream deflection by the clay layers, and re-emergence of water at the surface with subsequent direct and diffusive evaporative loss, and likely uptake by deep-rooted acacia trees. In many areas of the wadi system, recharge can now occur only along the channel perimeter via fractured rocks that are in direct horizontal hydraulic connection to the permeable beds above and below the water table.

Marketing strategies for competitive advantage: structural equation modelling approach on agricultural sector industry in South India

Marketing excellence is the need of the hour in today's competitive scenario. Numerous companies were striving to compete by continuous implementation of effective marketing strategies for sustainable growth. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between differentiation strategy, market penetration strategy and sales service support strategy on Coimbatore-based agricultural sector pump industry in South India. In this research structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was adopted using SPSS and AMOS tools, to analyse various attributes. The author has also examined the mediating effect on focus strategy and result shows, differentiation strategy and a market penetration strategy has significant and positive impact on organisational performance. It was suggested to provide adequate technical training for sales/service persons, constantly inspire for technical expertise and look for new design of service quality to monitor ontime service, would place pump industry for sustainable growth in competitive market.

A new artificial oasis landscape dynamics in semi-arid Hongsipu region with decadal agricultural irrigation development in Ning Xia, China

Understanding the ecological mechanisms and processes driving changes in our landscapes is significant for ecological conservation. This work used remote sensing with the extending contingency-based method to quantify the interchange relationship of land use types, and landscape metrics including spatially nuanced difference at patch level to track immigrants’ resettlement impacts at the semi-arid Hongsipu region with decadal agricultural pumping irrigation development in Ning Xia, China. Landsat-TM images acquired in 1989, 1999, 2003, and 2008 were used to study landscape changes in three periods, the earlier development from 1989 to 1999, the middle period in 1999–2003, and final stage in 2003–2008. The results showed the over 50 % landscape area experienced drastic change in each period with heavy immigrants’ perturbations since 1998. The nearly natural landscape with 1:1 area between desert and steppe in 1989 10 years before development, however, became the overwhelming barren landscape with almost 80 % of the study area in 2008, grassland and shrub land almost disappeared respectively, and cultivated land climbed to the third large type from about 2 % in 1989 to more than 16 % in 2008. The landscape became more fragmented, more regular shape with human disturbance spreading from the northwest low mountain and flat basin to the southeast diluvial fan, even high mountain at the end. Although Hongsipu pumping irrigation zone alleviates poor population pressure in the fragile ecological southern mountainous areas of Ningxia, the new artificial oasis creates another possible new ecological risk of the study area. Therefore, besides the economic development, the ecological conservation and restoration measures should be also the primary objectives in order to successful resettlement immigrants.

Independent component analysis for characterization and quantification of regional groundwater pumping

Summary The objective of this study is to develop a method that combines signal analysis with a groundwater simulation model for the characterization and quantification of regional groundwater pumping. We first use independent component analysis to identify the characteristics of the main pumping types from hourly groundwater head observations. Then we fit the drawdown variation at each observation well caused by each pumping type with a calibrated groundwater simulation model. We then use the results to estimate the quantity of each pumping type. We apply the proposed method to a regional aquifer system in Sijhou Township, located in the Jhuoshuei River alluvial fan in central-western Taiwan. The independent component analysis identifies three main pumping types: Agricultural type, Industrial type A, and Industrial type B. All three pumping types have the same sine-wave shape with one-day frequency, but differ in peak time, valley time, and peak-to-valley amplitude. Agricultural pumping occurs during daytime farming hours, while industrial pumping occurs during off-peak hours to take advantage of much lower nighttime electricity rates. Quantitative results indicate that the total amount of groundwater pumping in Sijhou is 37,565 tons per day, of which more than 58% is for agricultural use, while the remaining 42% is for industrial use. The percentage of industrial pumping is higher than expected, which may imply that industry use of groundwater is changing. The results indicate a large amount of pumping takes place at depths of more than 40 m. For further investigation, the installation of more monitoring wells is recommended at deeper aquifers.

Three-Phase Supply for Solar Application with MPPT Controller

This paper presents the implementation of three-phase sinusoidal inverter powered from a solar PV, 12V Lead-acid battery, and MPPT controller. Considering the Malaysia weather, it is in general the weather change very fast from the sunny clear sky up to the very thick cloud. Hence, the perturb and observe (P&O) control scheme is designed to crop solar energy in the most efficient manner and store the energy to the battery. To convert the output from solar or battery into high quality three-phase sinusoidal alternating current (AC) voltage, low resistive MOSFETs switches inverter is used by adopting Sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation Technique (SPWM). The frequency of the AC voltage can be adjusted from 30 up to 65 Hz with constant voltage over frequency (V/F) ratio. It is expected that the device can be used as stand-alone electrical supply for dedicated devices such as agricultural water pumping, drug-cold-storage in remote village, cold storage for fisherman, self-powered and unmanned water pump, forest security and surveillance device, etc. Furthermore, the device is also equipped with status display, over current and excessive charging protection, and low power warnings.

Geographic footprint of electricity use for water services in the Western U.S.

A significant fraction of our nation's electricity use goes to lift, convey, and treat water, while the resulting expenditures on electricity represent a key budgetary consideration for water service providers. To improve understanding of the electricity-for-water interdependency, electricity used in providing water services is mapped at the regional, state and county level for the 17-conterminous states in the Western U.S. This study is unique in estimating electricity use for large-scale conveyance and agricultural pumping as well as mapping these electricity uses along with that for drinking and wastewater services at a state and county level. Results indicate that drinking and wastewater account for roughly 2% of total West-wide electricity use, while an additional 1.2% is consumed by large-scale conveyance projects and 2.6% is consumed by agricultural pumping. The percent of electricity used for water services varies strongly by state with some as high as 34%, while other states expend less than 1%. Every county in the West uses some electricity for water services; however, there is a large disparity in use ranging from 10 MWh/yr to 5.8 TWh/yr. These results support long-term transmission planning in the Western U.S. by characterizing an important component of the electric load.

Notes for the Functional Diagnosis of Agricultural Pumps Based on Lubricants

Notes for the Functional Diagnosis of Agricultural Pumps Based on Lubricants

Flow Model of Pure Water in a Pipeline

Potable water in Tunisia has well defined characteristics. Thus, the Water researches and Technologies Centre-Borj Cedria mainly processing Natural Waters Laboratory, has worked on the physic-chemical quality of the water. As the Higher Institute of Agronomy-chott mariem have studied the phenomena associated with flows. For this work shows that natural water flows that can be generated in a pipeline. During operation of agricultural pumps (centrifugal pumps), the speed of the electric motor increases from zero to the permanent regime speed. This change in regime influences the flow of the hydraulic installation and forced it to follow the starting dynamic law of the motor. Under the effect of the friction force, due to the fluid viscosity, the transient regime is dumped until reaching the normal operating conditions. In this work, we study this phenomenon and see the influence of the pump startup on the hydraulic behaviour of one dimensional flow throw a cylindrical pipe of linear elastic behaviour. The pipe is connected to constant level reservoir at the downstream end. The problem is governed by a two coupled linear hyperbolic partial differential equations which are the equations of continuity and motion. The mathematical model is solved by the method of characteristics where at the upstream end, that is, at the pump station, the boundary condition is given by the differential equation for speed change of the pump motor. A theoretical relationship is introduced to express the motor torque in terms of the time. At the downstream end the discharging reservoir is assumed to be at a constant level. The computed head and discharge time curves, caused by the starting of the pump, are plotted at some cross sections of the pipe. The results show that the evolution of the hydraulic variables is well influenced by the applied motor torque.

Prediction on Number of Agricultural Pumps in Henan Province of China Based on BP Neural Network

To understanding future market conditions of agricultural pumps in Henan province, need to predict numbers of agricultural pumps at each year-end. Expatiated the principle of prediction based on BP neural network, and constructed the model of prediction. The BP neural network was trained with normalized statistical data of agricultural pumps in Henan province from 1990 to 2010, and gained parameters of the neural network. Test shows the model has high predictive precision. The average absolute value of predicted relative errors is 1.333%. Numbers of agricultural pumps at each year-end in Henan province of China from 2011 to 2015 were predicted, and the trend was also presented.

Complexity of Protections and Barriers in the Implementation of the Human Right to Water in the United States

I am grateful to have the opportunity to share with you recent developments in law with regard to the human rights to water and sanitation in the United States. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is a nonsectarian human rights and social justice organization related to the liberal religious tradition of Unitarian Universalism--advocating for human rights since the 1940s when the organization rescued children from Nazi repression in Europe. Faith-based institutions and service organizations are familiar with assisting families and individuals in difficulty. However, a disturbing problem has begun to introduce itself into the pastoral care of major faith institutions: families impacted by lack of access to safe drinking water in the United States. To illustrate the complexities of implementing a human right to water in the United States, and the gaps in protections, I will share an anecdotal experience. In one of our congregations a few years ago, we held a public lecture on the human right to water. After the event, a woman approached and told me that her well had failed because, she believed, the water table dropped from nearby (recently permitted) agricultural pumping. She had made arrangements with a neighbor for bathing, cooking, dishes and clothes washing, and drinking water for her and her three children. She explained that she had exhausted all of her options--she looked into digging a deeper well and purchasing a more powerful pump, which would cost thousands of dollars, and she was not eligible for financing. She approached the county to extend water services to her home; connections per household were $10,000 and twenty of her neighbors would also have to join the extension scheme. Litigating the damages through the legal system was not an option without the ability to pay for legal fees with the high costs of evidence to prove causality (the water lawyers on the panel can affirm the complexity of litigating water rights). Child Protective Services had learned of the situation and removed her children from her home, placing them in custodial care where the water bills are subsidized. She asked me, Can the human right to water help me? In the United States, the implications for water shutoffs go far beyond the extreme difficulty of losing access to water, to sanitation--it can mean that parents lose their children, that people are put out of their homes, or that their homes are foreclosed for unpaid water bills. As duty bearers and rights holders, parents have an obligation to provide for the welfare of their children. In rural areas, where residents and small communities rely on groundwater and household wells--and where environmental and hydrologic water resources and their management are out of their control--impacts on rural communities of decisions by government and private actors are especially difficult to predict, manage, and legislate. Where society gives preferential treatment to the highest and best use of water, and permits agricultural, industrial, mining and other extractive uses, we ultimately pass the burden of our economic priorities on to the individual. In many cases, these are the individuals who are least able to bear that burden. This is where human rights can assist in sorting through our fiscal and environmental priorities. Our churches, synagogues, temples, meeting houses, and mosques are also bearing the burden of decisions by public and private actors in the water and sanitation sector. In one of the early warning systems in our society--our faith institutions--alarm bells are ringing. The United Nations Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation, Dr. Catarina de Albuquerque, reported her findings on the human right to water and sanitation in the United States to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2011. (1) She found that while the United States has made significant progress in ensuring access to safe, sufficient, affordable water and sanitation, there is evidence of serious problems with access for vulnerable populations. …

Mortality in juvenile salmonids passed through an agricultural Hidrostal pump

Abstract Hidrostal pumps have been successfully employed in live fish transport, yet their effectiveness in fish passage is incompletely understood. This study investigates juvenile salmonid mortality in experimental passage trials through Hidrostal pumps at an agricultural pump facility in Washington State, USA. The effects of impeller pitch, rotational speed and fish body size on passage survival were examined. Hatchery‐reared salmonids [Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) and Oncorhynchus kisutch (Walbaum)] were introduced to low‐ and high‐pitch impeller assemblies operating at two speeds. Instantaneous mortality rates ranged from 0 to 4% for high‐pitch trials and from 3 to 10% for low‐pitch trials. Larger fish experienced sublethal injury at higher rates (approximately 60% injured) than smaller fish (approximately 23% injured) and exhibited greater susceptibility to injury at higher pump speed. Injury between trials was compared by ranking according to severity and summed for each treatment; greater injury severity was found for the low‐pitch impeller and from higher rotational speeds. Although injury and mortality rates to fish passing through Hidrostal pumps may be reduced through the use of higher‐pitch impellers and lower operational speeds, the use of pump‐bypass facilities may be warranted where acceptable impact thresholds are low.

Economic and environmental implications of demand-side management options

End-use electricity efficiency improvements offer an inexpensive way to reduce power shortages. The present study estimates the potential of demand-side management efficiency improvement targeted at (1) short-term efficiency improvement (agricultural pump rectification) that can provide immediate relief, and (2) long-term efficiency improvement (appliance standards such as AC and refrigerator, new agricultural pump purchase and pump replacement) for Gujarat state in India. The methodology includes the calculation of cost of conserved energy for each technology, which works out to be (−1.18) US$ cents/kW h for new agriculture pump sets, 1.03 US$ cents/kW h for refrigerators and 5.21 US$ cents/kW h for air conditioners. The price of power varies around 1.13 US$ cents to 12.1 cents/kW h in Gujarat. The annual energy savings from the selected energy-efficient technologies are approximately 8767 GW h over a period of 10 yr, while the estimated peak power savings are about 1814 MW, large enough to eliminate one-fourth of the state's electricity shortages. Also, the estimated CO 2 emissions savings are about 7715 Giga grams (Gg) from implementation of the selected energy efficiency measures over a period of 10 yr.

Estimating groundwater withdrawals in areas of intensive agricultural pumping in central Spain

▶ Application of the water table fluctuation method to estimate groundwater pumping. ▶ Geostatistical analysis of the water table map. ▶ Results cross-checked against official pumping data. Measuring groundwater extractions is central to adequate groundwater management in agricultural basins. Groundwater pumping records are often subject to considerable uncertainties, particularly in the case of arid and semiarid settings where irrigation is the most important water use. In most cases this is due to the difficulties involved in locating and monitoring all wells. We describe the estimation of groundwater pumping by coupling the water table fluctuation method with the groundwater balance equation. This is demonstrated through its application to the Mancha Occidental aquifer, Spain, an area subject to intensive pumping for irrigation since the early 1970s. A sensitivity analysis is conducted to evaluate the effect of relevant hydrogeological parameters, namely specific yield, as well as the most appropriate theoretical semivariogram, to calculate yearly storage variations within the system. Results are validated in the light of official pumping estimates.

Comparison of agricultural pumping plants efficiency control methods

Calculations of watt-hour energy usage by agricultural pump plants are offered for three different control techniques: with throttling, with a water-tower, and with a frequency-controlled pump electric drive. Power and economic indexes of these variants are compared.

English

The study of torsional vibration of rotor system is very important especially in application of high speed rotor. In the present work is extending the analysis of simple rotor to torsional vibration. The analysis of torsional vibration of the three rotor system of Agricultural pump with the conversional Newton’s second of motion or energy method. The analysis is extended to the system having different disc/ rotor dimension and different material. Where system natural frequencies of torsional vibration may be close to, or within, the source frequency range during normal operation, torsional vibrations constitute a potential design problem area. In such case designers should ensure the accurate prediction of design a rotor system based on torsional vibrations.

Climate co-benefit policies for the Indian power sector: domestic drivers and North—South cooperation

The Indian electricity sector offers the possibility for efficiency improvements across power generation, transmission and end-use of electricity. Three specific climate co-benefit policy options are identified which have significant potential to mitigate CO2 emissions in the Indian power sector: (1) the adoption of clean and efficient coal-based generation technology, (2) upgrading the low-tension (LT) distribution network to a high-voltage distribution system (HVDS), and (3) the adoption of efficient agricultural pump sets. Policy simulations suggest that an agricultural pump set replacement programme could reduce emissions by 5–30% per annum. In addition to improving technical efficiency, this could also help to improve economic efficiency if implemented jointly with electricity metering. The implementation requires the engagement of various stakeholders. The need for up-front capital requirements is a significant barrier for implementation but creates opportunities for international cooperation. Policy relevance: The study identifies three features of an effective approach to realize energy efficiency and lowcarbon opportunities. First, a comprehensive analysis can identify energy savings opportunities along the entire value chain. Second, technical linkages between the quality of the distribution network and the requirements of efficient pumps create benefits from the combined implementation of individual measures. Third, the sharing of energy savings between stakeholders can create political support for actions and can contribute to long-term objectives; for example the delivery of new pumps with electricity meters. This illustrates the benefit of an overall low-carbon development strategy capturing analytical, technological and political links. It allows for the identification of specific transitions and can be implemented with a set of policies and actions that are supported by domestic stakeholders, and can be enhanced if also supported by international support mechanisms.

A regional-scale groundwater flow model for the Leon-Chinandega aquifer, Nicaragua

Groundwater flow in the Leon-Chinandega aquifer was simulated using transient and steady-state numerical models. This unconfined aquifer is located in an agricultural plain in northwest Nicaragua. Previous studies were restricted to determining groundwater availability for irrigation, overlooking the impacts of groundwater development. A sub-basin was selected to study the groundwater flow system and the effects of groundwater development using a numerical groundwater flow model (Visual MODFLOW). Hydrological parameters obtained from pumping tests were related to each hydrostratigraphic unit to assign the distribution of parameter values within each model layer. River discharge measurements were crucial for constraining recharge estimates and reducing the non-uniqueness of the model calibration. Steady-state models have limited usefulness because of the major variation of recharge and agricultural pumping during the wet and dry seasons. Model results indicate that pumping induces a decrease in base flow, depleting river discharge. This becomes critical during dry periods, when irrigation is highest. Transient modeling indicates that the response time of the aquifer is about one hydrologic year, which allows the development of management strategies within short time horizons. Considering further development of irrigated agriculture in the area, the numerical model can be a powerful tool for water resources management.

Multi-objective calibration of a surface water-groundwater flow model in an irrigated agricultural region: Yaqui Valley, Sonora, Mexico

Abstract. Multi-objective optimization was used to calibrate a regional surface water-groundwater model of the Yaqui Valley, a 6800 km2 irrigated agricultural region located along the Sea of Cortez in Sonora, Mexico. The model simulates three-dimensional groundwater flow coupled to one-dimensional surface water flow in the irrigation canals. It accounts for the spatial distribution of annual recharge from irrigation, subsurface drainage, agricultural pumping, and irrigation canal seepage. The main advantage of the calibration method is that it accounts for both parameter and model structural uncertainty. In this case, results show that the effect of including the process of bare soil evaporation is significantly greater than the effects of parameter uncertainty. Furthermore, by treating the different objectives independently, a better identification of the model parameters is achieved compared to a single-objective approach, since the various objectives are sensitive to different parameters. The simulated water balance shows that 15–20% of the water that enters the irrigation canals is lost by seepage to groundwater. The main discharge mechanisms in the Valley are crop evapotranspiration (53%), non-agricultural evapotranspiration and bare soil evaporation (19%), surface drainage to the Sea of Cortez (15%), and groundwater pumping (9%). In comparison, groundwater discharge to the estuary was relatively insignificant (less than 1%). The model was further refined by identifying zonal Kv and Kh values based on a spatial analysis of the model residuals.

Auslegungsprogramm zur Erhöhung der Nutzungsdauer von Drehkolbenpumpen

Two-shaft rotary lobe pumps are often used for pumping suspensions with coarse matter, i.e in liquid manure, biogas and sewage treatment plants. Pump characteristics change considerably with increasing wear. Based on a mathematical model for wear-caused internal leakage, a new calculation programme for Computer Aided Pump Selection was developed, which combined with the well known programme for calculating pressure drop in pipes, makes it possible for the user to design a complex agricultural pumping system.

Ground water flow in a desert basin: challenges of simulating transport of dissolved chromium.

A large chromium plume that evolved from chromium releases in a valley near the Mojave River was studied to understand the processes controlling fate and migration of chromium in ground water and used as a tracer to study the dynamics of a basin and range ground water system. The valley that was studied is naturally arid with high evapotranspiration such that essentially no precipitation infiltrates to the water table. The dominant natural hydrogeologic processes are recharge to the ground water system from the Mojave River during the infrequent episodes when there is flow in the river, and ground water flow toward a playa lake where the ground water evaporates. Agricultural pumping in the valley from the mid-1930s to the 1970s significantly altered ground water flow conditions by decreasing water levels in the valley by more than 20 m. This pumping declined significantly as a result of dewatering of the aquifer, and water levels have since recovered modestly. The ground water system was modeled using MODFLOW, and chromium transport was simulated using MT3D. Several innovative modifications were made to these modeling programs to simulate important processes in this ground water system. Modifications to MODFLOW include developing a new well package that estimates pumping rates from irrigation wells at each time step based on available drawdown. MT3D was modified to account for mass trapped above the water table when the water table declines beneath nonirrigated areas and to redistribute mass to the system when water levels rise.