Abstract
Practical technologies can encourage farmers to adopt practices that support sustainable irrigated agriculture. Important among these are convenient water measurement and control techniques. Many simple constructions or operating procedures are available that can bring considerable convenience to farmers and irrigation delivery system operators. Some are new technologies and some are improvements on older technologies. Many can be implemented with small expense. Some are superior replacements for current practices. The techniques and devices discussed included: (a) accurate and convenient zero setting for weirs and flumes (b) pressure-transducer field checks, (c) easy-to-use scales for orifice and Venturi meters, (d) flow-profile improvers to assist accurate meter operations in irrigation pipelines, (e) floor sills and wave suppressors for canals that usually flow at variable depths of flow, (f) water surface slope measurements–based on static-pressure tubes, and (g) field checks of flow velocity profiles to evaluate flow conditioning using rising-bubble techniques for flow-profile visualization. Many of the concepts are demonstrated in a summary illustration showing several items in a typical stilling well and broad-crested weir (long-throated flume) that need attention, and offers suggestions for correcting the deficiencies.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers). 1971. Fluid meters, their theory and application. 6th ed. Report of ASME Research Committee on Fluid Meters. American Society of Mechanical Engineers, New York, 202 p.
Bos, M.G. (Ed). 1989. Discharge measurement structures. Third Revised Edition. Publication 20. International Institute for Land Reclamation and Improvement/ILRI, P.O. Box 45, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands. 401 pp.
Bos, M.G., Replogle, J.A. & Clemmens, A.J. 1991. Flow measuring flumes for open channel systems. American Society of Agricultural Engineers. 321 pp. (Republication of Book by same title, originally by John Wiley and Sons, New York. 1984.)
Dedrick, A.R. & Clemmens, A.J. 1984. Double-bubblers coupled with pressure transducers for water level sensing. Trans. ASAE. 27(3): 779–783.
Herschy, R.W. 1985. Streamflow measurement. Elsevier Applied Science Publishers, London and New York. 553 pp.
Rantz, S.E. 1982. Measurement and Computation of Streamflow: Volume 1. Measurement of Stage and Discharge. Geological Survey Water-Supply Paper 2175. U.S. Geological Survey, Department of Interior. United States Government Printing Office, Washington, DC. 297 pp.
Replogle, J.A., Fry, B.J. & Clemmens, A.J. 1987. Effects of non-level placement on the accuracy of long-throated flumes. Journ. of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. ASCE. 113(4): 584–594.
Replogle, J.A. and Wahlin, B.T. 1993. Venturi meter construction for plastic irrigation pipelines. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. American Society of Agricultural Engineers. Vol. 10(No.1): 21–26.
Rouse, H. 1961. Laboratory Instruction in the Mechanics of Fluids. Iowa Institute of Hydraulic Research, Published by the University, Iowa City. 60 pp.
Shaw, R. 1960. The influence of hole dimensions on static pressure measurements. Journal of Fluid Mechanics 7(April): 550–564.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Replogle, J.A. Practical technologies for irrigation flow control and measurement. Irrigation and Drainage Systems 11, 241–259 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005897812746
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005897812746