Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/cburt Recent documents in Charles M. Burt en-us Thu, 27 Aug 2009 09:50:11 PDT 3600 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/58 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/58 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:43:05 PDT Successful implementation of Proportional-Integral (PI) control logic for gate automation on irrigation canals has been problematic because of difficulties in tuning the PI controllers for a wide range of flows. This research shows that successful and relatively simple tuning for upstream controllers can be accomplished if one uses the velocity form of the PI logic. The velocity form must be modified with a newly-developed Universal Factor (UF) concept, which accounts for the nonlinearity of the upstream water level response to gate movement. The UF function is unique for each check structure, and can be determined with a steady state simulation program. The technique was tested with unsteady flow simulations of a new control system for the Highline Canal in Grand Valley, Colo. Extreme flow rate changes were successfully controlled with minimal water level changes upstream of the check structures. Robustness of the Highline Canal control system was enhanced by incorporating the use of long weir walls into the radial gate structure design. Charles M. Burt Articles http://works.bepress.com/cburt/57 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/57 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:43:04 PDT The Cal Poly ITRC irrigation evaluation programs have been widely used to assess the global distribution uniformity (DU) of drip and microsprayer irrigation systems. The field procedures and formulas used in the program are presented in this paper. The system DU is estimated by mathematically combining the component DU values. DU components include pressure differences, "other causes" (such as manufacturing variation, plugging, and wear), unequal drainage, and unequal application rates. Results are presented from evaluations by several entities, including Cal Poly ITRC. Cal Poly evaluations of 329 fields provided an average DUlq of 0.85 for drip and 0.80 for microspray. Approximately 45% of the non-uniformity was due to pressure differences, 52% was due to "other causes", 1% due to unequal drainage, and 2% due to unequal application rates. The data show that with good design and management, it is possible to have high system DU values for at least a 20-year system life. Charles M. Burt Articles http://works.bepress.com/cburt/56 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/56 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:43:02 PDT Volumetric water pricing is a popular topic within donor agencies for irrigation project modernization and sustainability. Implementation of an effective pricing program is quite complex and requires consideration of physical modernization, fee structure, enforcement procedures, and the level of water delivery service. Variations of volumetric water pricing and allocation are discussed. Charles M. Burt Articles http://works.bepress.com/cburt/55 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/55 Fri, 01 May 2009 11:21:47 PDT All California irrigation districts that receive either federal or state water are now required to prepare Water Conservation Plans. For the first time in the history of most districts, they are developing an elementary water balance. The term "elementary" should be emphasized, because there are significant weaknesses in our knowledge of subsurface flows and some components of Evapotranspiration (ET). Irrigation districts generally use published "typical" values of ET for their water balance computations. Charles M. Burt Articles http://works.bepress.com/cburt/54 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/54 Fri, 01 May 2009 11:21:46 PDT A short history of canal automation is given. PLC-based canal automation is relatively new. Advances in PLC-based canal automation are listed. Also listed are some of the remaining challenges. Recent advances have been made in understanding unsteady flow simulation procedures, the form of the control algorithms used, the tuning procedures for these control algorithms, and the field programming of the algorithms into PLCs. The experiences of the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) in automating a variety of canals with upstream and downstream control are given. Charles M. Burt Articles http://works.bepress.com/cburt/53 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/53 Fri, 01 May 2009 11:21:45 PDT Charles M. Burt Articles http://works.bepress.com/cburt/52 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/52 Fri, 01 May 2009 11:21:44 PDT Charles M. Burt Articles http://works.bepress.com/cburt/51 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/51 Fri, 01 May 2009 11:21:43 PDT The Irrigation Training and Research Center, working under agreement with the California Energy Commission as part of its Public Interest Energy Research Program, conducted an analysis of the energy used to supply water to California's agriculture and examined potential future trends in the agriculture water community to predict future energy requirements. Charles M. Burt Articles http://works.bepress.com/cburt/50 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/50 Fri, 01 May 2009 11:21:42 PDT During the 2000-2001 winter, California experienced a severe imbalance in electricity supply and demand that resulted in blackouts and brownouts. The state legislature initiated a number of emergency programs, one of which (Senate Bill 5x) was targeted for irrigation districts. The primary goal of SB 5x is to reduce peak period electricity demand. The California Energy Commission (CEC), acting under authority of Section 5(b) of the legislation, developed the "Agricultural Peak Load Reduction Program". The program was announced on June 1, 2001, and Cal Poly ITRC administers the irrigation district portion of the program for CEC. During the first 9 months of implementation, the irrigation districts voluntarily participated in load shifting, utilizing approximately $6.2 million in cost-sharing grant money. In addition, approximately 550 pumps were tested and pump repairs were made, resulting in an estimated savings of 16 million kWh. Charles M. Burt Articles http://works.bepress.com/cburt/49 http://works.bepress.com/cburt/49 Fri, 01 May 2009 11:21:41 PDT South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) in Manteca, California, is beginning an ambitious modernization program to increase its water delivery flexibility. The district has over 200 miles of 30-60 inch cast-in-place (CIP) concrete pipeline that currently allow for little flexibility. SSJID will install four reinforced concrete interceptor pipelines and regulating reservoirs to redistribute water among the CIP pipelines and provide improved flexibility. The district's goal is to improve efficiency and encourage farmers with pressurized irrigation systems to shift from well water to surface water. Charles M. Burt Articles