Irrigation Pipeline Research Articles

Design of a Real Time Feedback Automation Irrigation System

This paper presents the design of a real time feedback control automated irrigation systems that consists of monitoring units, control units, irrigation pipeline valves, and a network of irrigation pipeline. The monitoring units continuously measure the soil moisture content in the irrigation blocks, and if the moisture content drops below a predetermined threshold for the particular crop under production, it sends a wireless message to the control units controlling the pipeline valves along the water flow channel, causing the control units to open the valves leading to the water source and commencing automatic irrigation. When the moisture content rises above a predetermined threshold for the crop, the monitoring units sends a wireless message to the control units, causing them to close the pipeline valves and cease automatic irrigation. An automatic irrigation system pipeline network optimization software has also been designed to plan, cost, and design the automatic irrigation system for a piece of land prior to installation.

Characterization of venturi injector using dimensional analysis

ABSTRACT Venturi injectors are commonly employed for fertigation purposes in agriculture, in which they draw fertilizer from a tank into the irrigation pipeline. The knowledge of the amount of liquid injected by this device is used to ensure an adequate fertigation operation and management. The objectives of this research were (1) to carry out functional tests of Venturi injectors following requirements stated by ISO 15873; and (2) to model the injection rate using dimensional analysis by the Buckingham Pi theorem. Four models of Venturi injectors were submitted to functional tests using clean water as motive and injected fluid. A general model for predicting injection flow rate was proposed and validated. In this model, the injection flow rate depends on the fluid properties, operating hydraulic conditions and geometrical characteristics of the Venturi injector. Another model for estimating motive flow rate as a function of inlet pressure and differential pressure was adjusted and validated for each size of Venturi injector. Finally, an example of an application was presented. The Venturi injector size was selected to fulfill the requirements of the application and the operating conditions were estimated using the proposed models.

Synthetical Optimization of a Gravity-Driven Irrigation Pipeline Network System with Pressure-Regulating Facilities

Due to the influence of topographic drops, a large elevation difference often occurs in the middle and lower sections of the main pipe of a gravity-driven irrigation pipe network (GDIPN) system. This elevation difference must be reduced appropriately through pressure reduction facilities (pressure-regulating ponds (PRPs) or pressure-reducing valves (PRVs)). The number and locations of PRPs are crucial factors in regulating and balancing the pressure head of the main pipe of a GDIPN system as well as in reducing the project cost. However, there are few studies on the optimization of this kind of pipe network system. In this paper, first, we generalize such type of GDIPN system, and a simplified mathematical model for such system optimization was established. A genetic algorithm based on a fixed proportion and direct comparison (GA-FPDC) was introduced to solve the model. Two existing projects were tested by the proposed method. The results show that the presented method not only improved the design efficiency and rationality but also greatly decreased the project cost. The presented method is effective and efficient to address optimization design of such GDIPN system problems.

Applying the water-energy-food nexus to farm profitability in the Middle Breede Catchment, South Africa

The water-energy-food nexus has emerged as a useful concept to understand the multiple interdependencies that exist between the water, energy and food sectors. The nexus is an ambitious attempt to work across disciplines and scales to understand the workings of these complex systems. It is, however, criticised for being more of a general framework than a practical methodology because of the vast amount of data it would need to make real-life contributions to sustainable development. We show how the nexus approach, when used within a farm budget model, can transform the problem focus in water governance. By changing the relationship among water, energy and food production of a farm, profitability is significantly changed. The water-energy-food nexus debate is discussed within the context of the South African water sector, particularly the Breede River Catchment. Working from within the farm budget model, we demonstrate the impact of moving from an irrigation canal system that requires electricity for pumping, to a gravity-fed piped irrigation system in the Middle Breede River. The finding is that the water-energy-food nexus has the potential to unlock groundbreaking solutions to complex problems in agricultural water management when used in appropriate modelling systems.Significance:
 
 The water-energy-food nexus approach can lead to an entirely new framing of water governance problems and therefore solutions to these problems.
 The water-energy-food nexus when used in farm budget models can identify ways of altering farm profitability.
 By addressing the energy cost of farming through an irrigation pipeline system in parts of the Breede Catchment Area, farm profitability could significantly increase.
 A gravity-fed closed pipeline system in parts of the Breede River can improve water availability and reduce farm and management costs.

Study of Gravitation Pipeline Irrigation Design

Irigasi pipa merupakan salah satu alternatif teknologi aplikasi irigasi yang secara teoritis mempunyai efisiensi lebih tinggi dibanding irigasi dengan saluran terbuka. Dalam penerapan di lapangan, efisiensi irigasi yang tinggi dapat dicapai apabila jaringan irigasi pipa dirancang dengan benar dan dioperasikan secara tepat. Hasil pengujian laboratorium menunjukkan untuk melarutkan sedimen dalam pipa kecepatan aliran disarankan minimal 0,5 m/detik. Hasil penerapan jaringan irigasi pipa skala hamparan petani secara gravitasi yang diterapkan di Desa Cikurubuk, Kecamatan Buahdua, Kabupaten Sumedang menunjukkan bahwa rancangan jaringan irigasi pipa di lapangan khususnya pada skala hamparan petani, perlu memperhatikan : (i) bangunan pengumpul yang terdiri dari 3 (tiga) bagian yaitu bangunan pengendap, bangunan pengambilan, dan bangunan pengaman (saringan dan pelimpah) (ii) debit pengambilan, kualitas air, dan sistem operasi jaringan, (iii) saluran pipa yang terdiri dari pipa primer, sekunder, dan tersier harus memperhitungkan penanaman pipa, sambungan pipa, dan bangunan penguat, (iv) komponen pelengkap pada sistem jaringan irigasi pipa bertujuan menjaga sistem jaringan agar tetap berfungsi dengan baik. Komponen pelengkap terdiri dari katup pengatur dan katup penguras, pelepas udara, pengukur tekanan, meteran air, dan bangunan pelepas tekan.

A Sensitivity Analysis of Impacts of Conservation Practices on Water Quality in L’Anguille River Watershed, Arkansas

Assessing the performance of appropriate agricultural conservation practices (CPs) frequently relies on the use of simulation models as a cost-effective tool instead of depending solely on the monitoring of water quality at individual field and watershed levels. This study evaluates the predicted impacts of several CPs on nutrient and sediment loss at the hydrological response unit scale in the L’Anguille River Watershed, which is a watershed identified as a “focus watershed” under the Mississippi River Basin healthy watershed Initiative (MRBI) program. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool model was calibrated and validated between 1998–2005 and 2006–2012, respectively for flow, sediment, total phosphorus, and nitrate nitrogen. Out of the seven MRBI CPs modeled in this study, the highest reduction in sediment (80%) and nutrient (58% for total phosphorus and 16% for total nitrogen) was predicted for the critical area planting practice, followed by filter strip, irrigation land leveling, grade stabilization structure, irrigation pipeline, nutrient management, and irrigation water management. Some of the predicted impacts conflicted with expected CP performance. The study underscores the importance of the proper formulation of CP algorithms in using simulation models for predicting impacts on water quality.

Hydro Pneumatic Tank Design for Surge Protection of Irrigation Pipeline Systems

Hydro Pneumatic Tank Design for Surge Protection of Irrigation Pipeline Systems

Analysis of surface subsidence due to longwall mining under weak geological conditions: Turgut basin of Yatağan-Muğla (Turkey) case study

Accurate prediction of surface subsidence due to the extraction of underground coal seams becomes a significant challenge in engineering. For a projected longwall coal mining operation, conditions of weak cover rock and thick coal seams (6–12 m) in Turgut basin in Yatagan-Turkey are described and discussed based on the field data, using surface deformation prediction system software. This paper aims at predicting the subsidence values only numerically by evaluating the influence of subsidence on irrigation pipeline structure to be built on the ground for the cases with pillars left in the coal seam.

ON THE PRESSURE FLOWS REGIMES FORMING IN THE PIPELINES FOR IRRIGATION

In the agriculture, water transportation and distribution by pressure flows in pipelines is one of the main activities for irrigation of agro-cultures. Depending on the exploitation conditions, a differing flow regimes are formed - laminar, turbulent and transitional regime, according to the value of Reynold”s number, with lengthwise-variable water quantity. In view of surveillance and inspecting the efficiency of a given pipeline net for irrigation, it is necessary to describe and define the processes of pressure flows in pipelines in depending on flow velocity. The degree of efficiency of transportation and distributing the water for irrigation, realizing by pipelines, is dependent on the hydraulic resistance and from the flow regimes, as well as other factors. For this purpose, the paper proposes relationships for determination of the boundaries of the self-realizing flow regimes along the pipelines for irrigation.

Example Analysis about Accident Factors and Measures of Irrigation Pipeline

Example Analysis about Accident Factors and Measures of Irrigation Pipeline

A Study on Maintenance Situation and Risk Management of Irrigation Pipeline

A Study on Maintenance Situation and Risk Management of Irrigation Pipeline

Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation of Pipeline Irrigation System Based on Ansys

Strawberry plants (Fragaria × ananassa Duch) are one commodity that has great economic value. Strawberries are grown in cold regions in Indonesia such as in Malang, Ciwidey, and Garut. Besides a cold location, strawberry plants also need adequate water and proper irrigation methods. The drip irrigation (DI) method is able to conserve water and can reduce the risk of illness in the strawberry due to pollution by dirty water. In this study, drip irrigation modeling will be conducted using the existing CFD methods in ANSYS. The purpose of modeling is to get the water pressure needed to circulate water in a strawberry field with a flow rate of 0.95 l/h at each outlet of irrigation drip. This simulation modeling will be used to irrigate 600 strawberry plants in 320 m2 of the total area. From the simulation results obtained, 600 strawberry plants require pressure to be maintained at the pressure tank of 1.019 bar.

Modelling the economic trade-offs of irrigation pipeline investments for improved energy management

Higher electricity tariffs have accentuated the importance of the trade-off between lowering investment cost by buying pipes with smaller diameters and the higher operating costs that result from the increased power requirement to overcome the higher friction losses of the thinner pipes. The Soil Water Irrigation Planning and Energy Management (SWIP-E) mathematical programming model was developed and applied in this paper to provide decision support regarding the optimal mainline pipe diameter, irrigation system delivery capacity and size of the irrigation system. SWIP-E unifies the interrelated linkages between mainline pipe diameter choice and the timing of irrigation events in conjunction with time-of-use electricity tariffs. The results showed that the large centre pivot resulted in higher net present values than the smaller centre pivot and the lower delivery capacities were more profitable than higher delivery capacities. More intense management is, however, necessary for delivery capacities lower than 12 mm∙d−1 to minimise irrigation during peak timeslots. Variable electricity costs are highly dependent on the interaction between kilowatt requirement and irrigation hours. For the large centre pivot the interaction is dominated by changes in kilowatt whereas the effect of irrigation hours in relation to kilowatts is more important for smaller pivots. Optimised friction loss expressed as a percentage of the length of the pipeline was below 0.6%, which is much lower than the design norm of 1.5% that is endorsed by the South African Irrigation Institute. The main conclusion is that care should be taken when applying the friction loss norm when sizing irrigation mainlines because the norm will result in pipe diameters that are too small, consequently resulting in increased lifecycle operating costs. A clear need for the revision of the friction loss design norm was identified by this research. Keywords: Non-linear programming, economic trade-off, electricity costs, irrigation system investment costs, water management, net present value

Effects of Reclaimed Water Blending on the Pipe Corrosion in an Irrigation System

Global climate change is a change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns when that change lasts for an extended period of time. Nowadays, this change has been affect to water source shortage. Usage of reclaimed water is one of the most important solutions for this problem. There are a lot of methodologies for using reclaimed water instead of fresh water. Especially, agriculture field uses a lot of water to grow crops. Many countries water usage amount in agriculture is to 40~60% of their total water capacity. Therefore, usage of reclaimed water is one of solutions for supplement water shortage. There are several efforts to saving and improving water usage in agricultural field. In pipeline irrigation system, pipes were made of metallic or non-metallic materials. Depending on the case, the metallic pipes are used for following; large diameter, high pressure or loading. Because of the corrosion problem of metallic pipes by water, non-metallic pipes also used if there is concern about corrosion. There are various techniques in order to prevent corrosion. In these methods, sacrificial anode method and pipe lining are useful method for irrigation pipeline. For the effective application of corrosion prevention for usage of reclaimed water, it is necessary that the evaluation of corrosion pipes with various type of water blending (reclaimed water, surface water, etc.). In this study, we evaluated about corrosion index for blending effect of surface water and reclaimed water in metallic pipeline. Based on blending ratio, pH, alkalinity, conductivity, hardness, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, ammonium were measured and evaluated in batch reactor. Based on this research, it is expected that the usage of this data can be useful for usage of various type of water in agriculture field and many engineers related corrosion field can apply this data for their works. Acknowledgement This research was supported by a grant (12-TI-C01) from Advanced Water Management Research Program funded by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Korean government

Axial Behavior of Buried Rehabilitated Pipe in Liquefaction Ground

In Japan, the total length of aging irrigation pipeline increases and requires a lot of repair work. As part of the repair work for an aging pipeline, pipe rehabilitation has been used. In this method, the inner pipe (rehabilitated pipe) is inserted into the outer aging pipe. Studies on the axial behavior of the rehabilitated pipe are not readily conducted although the influence of the outer aging pipe on the cross-section behavior of the inner pipe is evaluated by model tests, centrifuge tests, and FEM analyses. In this study, shaking table tests are conducted to verify the dynamic behavior along the axial direction of the inner pipe used for the method. To model inner pipes, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and polyethylene (PE) pipe, which are 3040 mm in length and 140 mm in diameter, are used. To model outer pipes, different types of concrete pipes in length are used. Test results indicate that the amplitude of the bending strain of the PVC pipe with the outer pipe is large shortly after the pipe was moved horizontally due to liquefaction. In addition, the gradient of the bending strain increment to the horizontal displacement increment of the pipe end increases in proportion to the length of the outer pipe.

DETERMINAÇÃO DA VELOCIDADE ECONÔMICA EM ADUTORAS SOB DIFERENTES CONDIÇÕES DE CUSTO E FUNCIONAMENTO - DOI: 10.13083/1414-3984/reveng.v23n6p503-516

Visando maior eficiência em projetos de adutoras para irrigação, vários estudos são realizados, principalmente, sobre as características hidráulicas desses sistemas. No entanto, mesmo que hidraulicamente correto, o projeto pode não atender aspectos econômicos. Sobre este contexto, o presente trabalho teve por objetivo fazer um estudo hidráulico e econômico sobre a velocidade de escoamento da água em adutoras de aço galvanizado e PVC. Foi considerado uma adutora padrão, composta pela tubulação de sucção, conjunto motobomba, sistema de ligação e proteção e tubulação de recalque, operando com vazões de 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 e 300 m³ h-1 e pressões nominais de 80, 125 e 180 mca, em função do tempo de funcionamento, desnível geométrico total, custo de energia de bombeamento e de aquisição da tubulação. Verificou-se que para tubulações de aço galvanizado a velocidade econômica variou entre 0,88 e 2,65 m s-1 e para tubulações de PVC, entre 0,68 e 2,54 m s-1. Pode-se concluir que o valor da velocidade econômica é decrescente com o aumento no tempo de funcionamento da adutora e com o aumento no desnível geométrico total. A velocidade econômica foi indiretamente influenciada pelo aumento na tarifa energética e diretamente influenciada pelo aumento
 no custo da tubulação.

Developing Design Support System Based on Semantic of Design Model

A design support system is developed for engineering design based on the ontology which is declarative description conceptualized the world that agents (men and programs) focused on. The design process is understood as determining the design parameters and their relationships which consists the design model. The meta-model of design model is the ontology which represented as a network in the computer system using the XML. The design model is generated from the meta-model as class in Object oriented language . The system built with the above concept provides the following abilities, 1) declarative description that engineers intend to design, 2) effective entering data into Object oriented model, 3)semantic of design model which focused by numerical simulation and graphics programed with Java. Finally, the system's validity and effectiveness is ascertained by applying it to the basic design of an irrigation pipeline.

Analysis of formation fracturing for the Maxi-HDD Qin River crossing project in China

A new irrigation pipeline was installed using the Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) method in order to alleviate the water shortage situation in Jiaozuo City, Henan Province, China. This pipe installation project included two parallel HDD crossings, with a pipe diameter of 1016mm and a driven length of 1750m for both of them. Based on the preliminary detailed geological survey report of the riverbed, hydro-fracturing control under high slurry pressure would be a big challenge for this project. This paper summarizes the prediction methods for the maximum allowable mud pressure in the borehole based on different mechanisms of formation fracturing. Based on the geological data of this crossing project, the Delft equation and another prediction method based on tensile failure (termed here the Xia method) were used to calculate the maximum allowable annular pressure. The real pumping pressure of this project was recorded by the contractor. By comparing the theoretical predictions of allowable pressure with the actual pressures for the horizontal section of the borehole, it indicated that the Xia method is conservative and the limits of the Delft equation could not be verified in this project. As a solution dealing with potential hydro-fracturing, finite element modeling shown that increasing the ground surface load would rise the borehole allowable pressure at which fracturing would occur. This solution was used to deal with a blow-out in the entry section of one pilot hole on this project. Under the guidance of the theoretical and numerical simulation results, the Qin River crossing project was successfully completed.

Investigation of the Actual Situation of Water Leakage Accidents to Irrigation Pipelines

Investigation of the Actual Situation of Water Leakage Accidents to Irrigation Pipelines

A Study of Diagnosis Technique Using Shear Wave Resonating Method for Irrigation Pipelines

A Study of Diagnosis Technique Using Shear Wave Resonating Method for Irrigation Pipelines