Water Delivery System Research Articles

Generating renewable power from water hammer pressure surges

Since the 18th century, hydraulic ram pumps have harnessed the water hammer effect to move water in a renewable and sustainable manner. This article demonstrates that, by substituting the pressurised water delivery system for an energy conversion mechanism, the operating principles behind hydraulic rams can also be adopted for the purposes of providing renewable energy. An experimental study involving a small scale model device driving a piston-crank mechanism is presented to demonstrate the concept. The peak mechanical efficiency of the test rig was found to be 25.7%, with the time-averaged efficiency varying from 0.3 to 1.7%.

Research on the key techniques of the Miyun reservoir regulation and storage engineering’s integrated scheduling

The middle route of the south-to-north water diversion projectgreatly ease the conflict between supply and demand of water resources in Beijing, as an important supporting engineering of that, the integrated scheduling of the Miyun reservoir regulation and storage engineering is of great significance. In order to strengthen the scheduling management of engineering and realize the safety and economic operation of the project, using state space analysis, mathematical optimization, automatic control technology and other technologies to establish a “simulation, scheduling and control” technology system, which includes the multi-process simulation technology, multi-dimensional optimal scheduling technology and operation control technology of free-surface-pressurized flow and ice-water coupling in the water delivery system of cascade pumping stations. Research results applied to dumped station operation of the Tundian pumping station and intelligent scheduling system platform, which have strong applicability, can provide technical support for the scheduling management of the Miyun reservoir regulation and storage engineering and realize the goal of engineering safety and economic operation.

Risk Assessment of Agricultural Water Conveyance and Delivery Systems by Fuzzy Fault Tree Analysis Method

Improving the efficiency of main Agricultural Water Conveyance and Delivery Systems (AWCDS) has a significant impact on improving water productivity in agriculture. Therefore, risk assessment of mentioned systems is necessary to increase reliability of operational performance. Accordingly, this study for the first time presents a unique framework to assess the adequacy, equity, and efficiency of agricultural water distribution and delivery risk assessment within AWCDS. In this way, the Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) technique is employed for risk assessment of “undesirability of supply and delivery”. The west Dez main irrigation canal in Khuzestan province of Iran was determined as the case study of the research. A set of questionnaires filled up by managers and experts of this irrigation district, the failure probabilities of the basic events are gathered in the form of linguistic terms. Due to the uncertainty in these terms, the system’s risk assessment to determine the failure probability of the top event was performed based on Fuzzy Fault Tree Analysis method (FFTA). The results of the study showed that the failure probability in the fuzzy approach is 0.55 which is roughly 0.15 more than crisp approach. Also, the rating of the basic events based on their contribution to the occurrence of the top event was carried out using importance measures. Five major events were identified with an emphasis on operational and socio-economic issues related to distribution and delivery of water. Comparing the results of risk assessment with the mathematical model reveals that the latter’s failure probability will be less than the system’s FTA due to non-consideration of some important factors.

Latent consequences of early-life lead (Pb) exposure and the future: Addressing the Pb crisis

Background. The lead (Pb) exposure crisis in Flint, Michigan has passed from well-publicized event to a footnote, while its biological and social impact will linger for lifetimes. Interest in the “water crisis” has dropped to pre-event levels, which is neither appropriate nor safe. Flint’s exposure was severe, but it was not unique. Problematic Pb levels have also been found in schools and daycares in 42 states in the USA. The enormity of Pb exposure via municipal water systems requires multiple responses. Herein, we focus on addressing a possible answer to long-term sequelae of Pb exposure. We propose “4R’s” (remediation, renovation, reallocation, and research) against the Pb crisis that goes beyond a short-term fix. Remediation for affected individuals must continue to provide clean water and deal with both short and long-term effects of Pb exposure. Renovation of current water delivery systems, at both system-wide and individual site levels, is necessary. Reallocation of resources is needed to ensure these two responses occur and to get communities ready for potential sequelae of Pb exposure. Finally, properly focused research can track exposed individuals and illuminate latent (presumably epigenetic) results of Pb exposure and inform further resource reallocation.Conclusion. Motivation to act by not only the general public but also by scientific and medical leaders must be maintained beyond initial news cycle spikes and an annual follow-up story. Environmental impact of Pb contamination of drinking water goes beyond one exposure incident in an impoverished and forgotten Michigan city. Population effects must be addressed long-term and nationwide.

THE ECONOMIC VALUE AND COST RECOVERY OF WATER IN THE EGYPTIAN IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE

This article provides estimates for on-farm irrigation costs paid by farmers and the imputed economic value of water for the main crops in the study sample and identifies the appropriate method for the Egyptian conditions, and measures the impact of irrigation water consumption, water savings and gross margin in Egypt. Data were collected from a formal survey for 80 farmers conducted in 2016/2017 to collect data on the farm budgets of the crops prevailing in Al Satamony Village located at Dakahlia Governorate (Belkas District). A residual method was employed to impute the economic value of water and an assessment of crop-based irrigation water cost recovery policy was made in terms of its impact on irrigation water consumption and gross margin. Besides, the study conducted an online opinion poll about the possibility to recover a part of the operation and maintenance (O&M) costs of irrigation in Egypt and the irrigation cost recovery method relevant to the Egyptian case. The results from this study confirm the need for additional investments to improve the efficiency of the existing irrigation system whereas, such investments are regarded as public good putting more pressure on the national budget. However, Egyptian farmers do not pay for water used in their farms. They bear only the on-farm irrigation costs. Thus, the Government of Egypt (GoE) considered more direct methods of recovering costs from farmers in order to reduce the government’s recurrent fiscal burden while improving the efficiency and sustainability of O&M services. Rice and clover ranked first in terms of high shadow price of irrigation water, followed by sugar beet, wheat and maize whereas, sugar beet and clover gained the highest water productivity. The analysis showed that the crop-based scheme is the irrigation cost recovery policy most relevant to the Egyptian case. Such policy achieves water saving of at least half a million cubic meters for the old lands of Dakahlia Governorate. However, farm gross margin decreases as the total on-farm irrigation costs based on the crop-based irrigation water tariff increase. This implied the importance of such a policy that directly affects farmers’ behavior towards reducing irrigation water consumption and slightly decreases farm gross margin, as well. To conclude, there is a need for sufficient farmer’s access to knowledge and improving communication channels between farmers and skilled agricultural extension personnel about the harmful effect of over-irrigation, the recommended crop water requirements, the role of water user associations (WUAs), and water-saving management techniques before introducing the proposed irrigation cost recovery policy. Besides, a public-awareness campaign on the need to recover a part of the O&M irrigation costs is one of the key actions needed before introducing the proposed irrigation cost recovery policy in order to sustain the water supply and delivery system, upgrade poorly served areas, and ensure continued provision of services. Ensuring farmers acceptability for the cost recovery mechanism and the irrigation water tariff is clearly understood to represent no more than the cost of services rendered should be put into consideration before introducing such policy. Finally, introducing the proposed irrigation cost recovery policy in Egypt helps recovering part of O&M costs, encourage efficient resource use, encourage efficient provision of

Three-dimensional transient simulation of water filling and draining of gravity flow based on Lattice Boltzmann Method

The traditional one-dimensional method of characteristics is available to analyze the transient flow of system level in full pipe flow. As for water filling of empty pipeline and water draining of water-filled pipeline, it is difficult to analyze with this method as the boundary conditions are changing along with the location and time. Meshless Lattice Boltzmann Method was used in this investigation to simulate these two circumstances in the gravity flow water-delivery system respectively. We visually obtained, by this method, the changing process of liquid level, total time of the filling and draining process, flow state around the butterfly valves in the pipe inlet and outlet respectively. Meanwhile, time history data of water flow rate and submersed fraction on the cross section behind the valves were extracted as well. CFD method used in analysis of three-dimensional pipeline flow in system level is an innovation of this research that it not only makes the result more accurate, but also details and visualizes the local transient flow state in pipeline system of gravity flow.

Developing an integrated risk management framework for agricultural water conveyance and distribution systems within fuzzy decision making approaches

Irrigation canal networks, as the primary agricultural water conveyance and delivery systems, are exposed to a variety of hazards affecting the water distribution processes. This study, for the first time, develops a comprehensive risk management framework for the canal network through a Fuzzy Hierarchical method. In this regard, the risk is analyzed by a combination of probability, consequence, and vulnerability against identified hazards based on the hierarchical framework. The developed model is based on fuzzy numbers to consider the uncertainties arise from experts' opinion. To aggregate the calculated risk in the hierarchical framework, the Fuzzy Simple Additive Weighting (FSAW) approach was employed. To enhance the reliability of the water distribution system and decrease the risk of failure, six risk management alternatives are proposed based on the risk assessment results and the most significant hazards. To prioritize managerial scenarios, two sets of criteria were selected including quantitative criteria (consisting of cost of operation and risk reduction) and a qualitative set (compromising social and operational criteria). The risk management scenarios were prioritized based on two rational multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods of a Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) and Simple Additive Weighting (SAW). Regarding different degrees of importance of the criteria, a pair-wise comparison was conducted by a group of experts to determine the relative weight of the criteria. According to the risk assessment results, the riskiest hazards are poor maintenance, seepage, unexpected event, drought, and vandalism of the structure. Moreover, employing the MCDM model in risk-based decision-making reveals that “maintenance improvement” is ranked as the first scenario, with score values of 0.851 and 0.237 employing the SAW, and TOPSIS approaches, respectively.

Numerical Simulation of Flow Field of DN2400 Hedge Dissipator

The distribution of water resources in China is uneven. Long distance water conveyance projects have effectively solved this problem. In the water delivery system, the energy dissipator plays an important role in pressure regulation and regulation. Therefore, the design and structure of the energy dissipator affect the working efficiency and stable operation of the whole water delivery system, and it is of great significance to study the internal flow field of the energy dissipator. Based on a emergency project, this paper studies the internal flow field of the energy dissipation valve in A location and B location in the design conditions, accident conditions and water separation conditions to verify the DN2400 hedging energy dissipation. The rationality of the structural design of the device provides a reference for the design and improvement of the energy dissipator in the future.

Performance evaluation of water delivery system of Mahanadi delta irrigation project, Odisha

Performance evaluation of water delivery system of Mahanadi delta irrigation project, Odisha

Numerical analysis of the hydraulic transient process of the water delivery system of cascade pump stations

Abstract The aim of this study is to create a hydraulic numerical model to analyze the hydraulic transient process associated with the water delivery system of the cascade pumping stations of the Miyun Reservoir Regulation and Storage Project. Based on the characteristics of the project, which include open channels, co-dependent structures and control structures, a mathematical model of the corresponding inner boundary was established. The numerical model of transient flow was developed by combining computer simulation techniques with the one-dimensional Saint-Venant equations. This approach is suitable for the water delivery system of cascade pumping stations. This model was subsequently applied in the study area. The numerical simulation results show that the model of the hydraulic transient process yielded relatively high precision (error of less than 2 cm). The model was used to perform numerical simulations of flow regulation and emergency conditions in the water conveyance system. The study provides a practical numerical method for precisely evaluating the hydraulic transient process for the water delivery system of cascade pumping stations, basic data for the operation and optimization of the water conveyance system, and a reference for the safe operation of the Miyun Reservoir Storage Project, as well as efficient water delivery.

Performance and water usage of selected vegetables grown with different irrigation systems under house-type structures

Irrigation for vegetables grown under protected cropping is very important for optimum production. Likewise, choosing an efficient method of irrigation can save water and labour. These studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of manual sprinkler, drip bottle, and drip hose method of water delivery systems on performance of selected vegetables, water use efficiency and profitability grown in house-type protective structures. The three crops tested were tomato, sweet pepper and ampalaya which were planted in similar structures arranged in randomized complete block design with three replications. The drip bottle method increased yield, irrigation water use efficiency, and profitability compared to sprinkler and drip hose method. Drip hose method effectively suppressed fusarium wilt. This implies that increasing productivity of some vegetables requires water delivery systems that provide a constant and even supply using a small amount of water. Further work is required in scheduling and rate of application with the drip hose method for it to become as efficient as the drip bottle.

Performance Evaluation of Water Delivery System for Command Area of Left Main Canal of Bhimsagar Irrigation Project, Rajasthan

Water delivery performance of left main canal of Bhimsagar irrigation project, Rajasthan was studied. Outlet-wise performance was evaluated using the adequacy, equity, dependability, relative irrigation supply and relative water supply indicators. These indicators were studied for the 21 outlets located on three minors at head, middle and tail reach of the left main canal for the 5-month irrigation period during Rabi season, using measured water deliveries and calculated crop water requirements. The outlet-wise water delivery performance indicators showed poor performance of the system. Considering the irrigation season and the system as a whole, the average value of indicator’s were found as “poor” for adequacy, equity and dependability; emphasizing for adopting improved management strategies.

Priorities and challenges for a sustainable management of water resources in Kazakhstan

Abstract The water availability in Kazakhstan is 37000 m3 per one km2 and 3650 m3 per capita a year, an amount that is lower than the world average (around 6000 m3) (Knoema, 2016). It is expected that water availability falls to 2300 m3 per capita in a year by 2030 ( FAO, 2016a ). Water pollution is a further problem for exploiting available water resources. In fact, 50–70% of surface water resources in Kazakhstan have been rated “polluted” and “highly polluted” in terms of ecological status (ICSD, 2016). Apart from that, water use efficiency remains very low. The average efficiency of canal water delivery systems is only 15–20% compared to 70–90% in most developed countries ( FAO, 2016b ). A number of institutional and policy measures have been implemented to enhance the sustainability of water resource use and water security; however, the country is still facing a number of problems of water use in a sustainable manner. This study provides stakeholders’ assessment of the critical factors that affect the sustainable management of water resources in Kazakhstan. The study rests on the results from the interviews that are further examined using the SWOC approach (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Challenges) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique. The study demonstrates and prioritizes 32 critical SWOC factors relevant to the sustainable management of water resources in Kazakhstan. The study also determines four key stakeholder groups with differing opinions regarding the SWOC factors, which could potentially impact final policy implementation. Creating a comprehensive regulatory framework alongside decentralising water management from state water authorities to community-based water-user associations as well as investment to innovative irrigation technologies are likely to contribute towards a more equitable and efficient water distribution.

Opportunities for Agricultural Water Management Interventions in the Krishna Western Delta - A case from Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract2)Agricultural water management has gained enormous attention in the developing world to alleviate poverty, reduce hunger and conserve ecosystems in small-scale production systems of resource-poor farmers. The story of food security in the 21stcentury in India is likely t o be closely linked to the story of water security. Today, the water resource is under severe threat. The past experiences in India in general and in Andhra Pradesh in particular, indicated inappropriate management of irrigation has led to severe problems like excessive water depletion, reduction in water quality, water logging, salinization, marked reduction in the annual discharge of some of the rivers, lowering of ground water tables due to pumping at unsustainable rates, intrusion of salt water in some coastal areas etc. Considering the importance of irrigation water resource efficiency, Krishna Western Delta (KWD) of Andhra Pradesh was purposively selected for this in depth study, as the farming community in this area are severely affected due to severe soil salinity and water logging problems and hence, adoption of different water saving crop production technologies deserve special mention. It is quite disappointing that, canals, tube wells and filter points and other wells could not contribute much to the irrigated area in KWD. Due to less contribution from these sources, the net area irrigated also showed declining growth at a rate of –6.15 per cent. Regarding paddy production, both SRI and semi-dry cultivation technologies involves less irrigation cost (Rs. 2475.21/ha and Rs. 3248.15/ha respectively) when compared to transplanted technology (Rs. 4321.58/ha). The share of irrigation cost in Total Operational Cost (TOC) was highest for transplanted technology of paddy (11.06%) followed by semi-dry technology (10.85%) and SRI technology (6.21%). The increased yield and declined cost of cultivation of paddy in SRI and semi-dry production technologies respectively were mainly responsible for the low cost of production of paddy in SRI (Rs. 495.22/qtl) and semi-dry (Rs. 532.81/qtl) technologies over transplanted technology (Rs. 574.93/qtl). This clearly indicates that, by less water usage, paddy returns can be boosted by adopting SRI and semi-dry production technologies. Both the system-level and field-level interventions should be addressed to solve the issues/problems of water management. The enabling environment, institutional roles and functions and management instruments are posing favourable picture for executing the water management interventions in the State of Andhra Pradesh in general and in KWD in particular. This facilitates the farming community to harvest good crop per unit of water resource used in the production programme. To achieve better results, the Farmers’ Organizations, Water Users Associations, Department of Irrigation etc., will have to aim at improving productivity per unit of water drop used and this must be supported through system-wide enhancement of water delivery systems and decision support tools to assist farmers in optimizing the allocation of limited water among crops, selection of crops based on farming situations, and adoption of appropriate alternative crops in drought years.

A road damage and life-cycle greenhouse gas comparison of trucking and pipeline water delivery systems for hydraulically fractured oil and gas field development in Colorado

The process of hydraulic fracturing for recovery of oil and natural gas uses large amounts of fresh water and produces a comparable amount of wastewater, much of which is typically transported by truck. Truck transport of water is an expensive and energy-intensive process with significant external costs including roads damages, and pollution. The integrated development plan (IDP) is the industry nomenclature for an integrated oil and gas infrastructure system incorporating pipeline-based transport of water and wastewater, centralized water treatment, and high rates of wastewater recycling. These IDP have been proposed as an alternative to truck transport systems so as to mitigate many of the economic and environmental problems associated with natural gas production, but the economic and environmental performance of these systems have not been analyzed to date. This study presents a quantification of lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and road damages of a generic oil and gas field, and of an oil and gas development sited in the Denver-Julesburg basin in the northern Colorado region of the US. Results demonstrate that a reduction in economic and environmental externalities can be derived from the development of these IDP-based pipeline water transportation systems. IDPs have marginal utility in reducing GHG emissions and road damage when they are used to replace in-field water transport, but can reduce GHG emissions and road damage by factors of as much as 6 and 7 respectively, when used to replace fresh water transport and waste-disposal routes for exemplar Northern Colorado oil and gas fields.

Evaluation of benchmarking indicators of Sanjay Sarovar Irrigation Project, India

Water is most limiting factor in crop production especially in the areas where agriculture sustains on irrigation. The rapid urbanization and industrialization have greatly affected the overall water demand scenario. As a result, the gap between water demand and availability has been progressively increasing. The benchmarking results for the Sanjay Sarovar Irrigation Project reflect a low level of water delivery service and irrigation performance. In Sanjay Sarovar Irrigation Project, the annual project irrigation efficiency of 41% and annual field irrigation efficiency of 51% of irrigation requirement cannot fully meets the needs of sustainable development. Most of the key internal indicators covering operations and service are low. External indicators, such as irrigation efficiency, cost recovery ratio, and productivity, were also relatively low. Study suggests the immediate need to improve the service delivery of the surface water systems. This requirement to improve the surface water delivery systems is critical and should be the priority for projects.

CALCIUM NITRATE CONCENTRATIONS IN FERTIGATION FOR ‘TERRA’ BANANA PRODUCTION

ABSTRACT : The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of calcium nitrate concentration of irrigation water on soil chemical attributes and productivity during the first ‘Terra’ banana crop cycle. The experiment followed a completely randomized design with six treatments and five replications, with six plants per plot. Treatments consisted in the use of three calcium nitrate concentrations (3.0, 10.0 and 13.0 g.L -1 ), applied via dripping and micro-micro-sprinkling irrigation. The results showed that the soil chemical properties under fertigation are influenced by the water and nutrient delivery system. There was a linear tendency of increase in electrical conductivity of the saturation extract and soil solution with the increase in calcium nitrate concentration in irrigation water. The banana tree productivity was influenced by the fertilizer concentration in irrigation water. PALAVRAS-CHAVE : soil solution, saturation extract, electric conductivity, trickle irrigation

Integrated Hydro-Irrigation-Restoration Systems: Resolving a Wicked Problem in the Whychus Creek Watershed (Oregon, USA)

There is an emerging problem of water scarcity associated with the water-energy nexus that has become even more complicated, and more acute, in many rural, irrigation-dependent farming and ranching communities in arid and semi-arid regions of the western U.S. and Canada. The combination of environmental laws, growing populations, increasing demand and higher costs for energy, globalized competition for agricultural commodities, and the spectre of climate change creates a wicked problem that challenges the efficacy of traditional water rights and water delivery systems, as well as the long-term sustainability of the resource-oriented communities and ecosystems involved. How might this wicked problem be resolved such that we simultaneously have more water for streams (ecological health) and growing populations, fewer fish passage obstructions, improved economic viability for working rural landscapes, more carbon free energy, adequate water quality, and improved reliability in water delivery for all water rights holders, while respecting and keeping existing water rights intact? This research analyzes the case of the Whychus Creek watershed in Oregon (USA), where an inclusive set of stakeholders collaboratively transformed the traditional irrigation system into an integrated hydro-irrigation-restoration system more fully responsive to the many different facets of the wicked problem associated with the water-energy nexus.

Life cycle assessment of a commercial rainwater harvesting system compared with a municipal water supply system

Building upon previously published life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies, we conducted an LCA of a commercial rainwater harvesting (RWH) system and compared it to a municipal water supply (MWS) system adapted to Washington, D.C. Eleven life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) indicators were assessed, with a functional unit of 1 m3 of rainwater and municipal water delivery system for toilets and urinals in a four-story commercial building with 1000 employees. Our assessment shows that the benchmark commercial RWH system outperforms the MWS system in all categories except Ozone Depletion. Sensitivity and performance analyses revealed pump and pumping energy to be key components for most categories, which further guides LCIA tradeoff analysis with respect to energy intensities. Tradeoff analysis revealed that commercial RWH performed better than MWS in Ozone Depletion if RWH's energy intensity was less than that of MWS by at least 0.86 kWh/m3 (249% of the benchmark MWS energy usage at 0.35 kWh/m3). RWH also outperformed MWS in Metal Depletion and Freshwater Withdrawal, regardless of energy intensities, up to 5.51 kWh/m3. An auxiliary commercial RWH system with 50% MWS reduced Ozone Depletion by 19% but showed an increase in all other impacts, which were still lower than benchmark MWS system impacts. Current models are transferrable to commercial RWH installations at other locations.

Kajian Kebutuhan Air dan Produktivitas Air Padi Sawah dengan Sistem Pemberian Air Secara SRI dan Konvensional Menggunakan Irigasi Pipa

Kondisi air yang semakin terbatas untuk lahan pertanian dapat menyebabkan penurunan produksi padi. Peningkatan produksi tanaman saat ini menempati prioritas utama dalam pembangunan pertanian. Produktivitas dapat dikaji melalui subsistem tanah, air dan pola lahan untuk penggunaan pada periode tertentu. Aplikasi irigasi pipa dengan kombinasi sistem pemberian air secara SRI mampu memanfaatkan air dengan efisien. Oleh karena itu penelitian mengenai perhitungan produktivitas air padi sawah yang menggunakan input irigasi pipa dengan sistem pemberian air secara konvensional dan SRI penting untuk dilakukan. Tahapan penelitian yang dilakukan yaitu pengamatan langsung dilapangan, pengukuran terhadap evapotranspirasi, perkolasi, kebutuhan air netto di sawah dan perhitungan produktivitas air. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa produksi padi lebih tinggi dengan sistem pemberian air System of Rice Intensification (SRI). Produktivitas air padi dengan sistem pemberian air secara SRI juga lebih tinggi di mana kebutuhan air dengan kombinasi irigasi pipa dan sistem pemberian air secara SRI menjadi perlakuan terbaik. Produktivitas air pada sawah konvensional yaitu 0,82 kg/m3 dan sawah SRI yaitu 1,12 kg/m3. Kombinasi penggunaan irigasi pipa dengan sistem pemberian air secara SRI menunjukkan produktivitas air yang tinggi dan efisien dalam pemakaian air.