Field-Scale Assessment of Uncertainties in Drip Irrigation Lateral Parameters
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VIEW THE REPLYPublication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 133, Issue 6
Abstract
Grass establishment on railway embankment steep slopes for erosion control in Central Queensland, Australia, is aided by drip lateral irrigation systems. The effective field values of the lateral parameters may be different from the manufacturer supplied ones due to manufacturing variations of the emitters, environmental factors, and water quality. This paper has provided a methodology for estimating drip lateral effective parameter values under field conditions. The hydraulic model takes into account the velocity head change and a proper selection of the friction coefficient formula based on the Reynolds number. Fittings and emitter insertion head losses were incorporated into the hydraulic model. Pressure measurements at some locations within the irrigation system, and the inlet discharges, were used to calibrate the lateral parameters in a statistical framework that allows estimation of parameter uncertainties using the Metropolis algorithm. It is observed that the manufacturer’s supplied parameters were significantly different from the calibrated ones, underestimating pressures within the irrigation system for a given inlet discharge, stressing the need for field testing. The parameter posterior distributions were found to be unimodal and nearly normally distributed. The emitter head loss coefficient distribution being very significant suggests the need to incorporate it into the hydraulic modeling. Although the example given in this paper relates to steep slopes, the methodologies are general and can be applied to any use of drip laterals.
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Acknowledgments
This research is part of HEFRAIL Project, which is fully funded by Queensland Rail (QR), and this support is gratefully acknowledged. James Fox and Surya Bhattarai are thanked for helping with the field data collection. The writer wishes to thank George Kuczera for providing NLFIT software.
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Published In
Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 133 • Issue 6 • December 2007
Pages: 512 - 519
Copyright
© 2007 ASCE.
History
Received: Feb 27, 2006
Accepted: Jul 5, 2007
Published online: Dec 1, 2007
Published in print: Dec 2007
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