Acessibilidade / Reportar erro

The design and evaluation of travelling gun irrigation systems: enrolador software

ABSTRACT

Travelling gun irrigation systems offer great mobility and operation flexibility with a low investment cost per unit of irrigated area. However, the drawbacks include high operating pressure, low application efficiency, and high rainfall, runoff and erosion. Many of these problems can be minimized if the design and operation of travelling gun irrigation systems are carried out carefully, taking into account several design criteria that will ensure the quality of the irrigation performed by the system. The Enrolador software was developed to meet this goal. The software designs the travelling gun irrigation system, performs its simulation and its performance evaluation. This software was experimentally applied in the Alentejo region, Portugal. The design flow rates were computed for maize and sunflower crops with the soil water balance model IrrigRotation, considering a probability of non-exceedance of 75%. Meteorological data from the Évora weather station for the years 1961 to 1990 were used. Five plots with 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 ha were chosen for the design of the irrigation systems using the software. The Enrolador software was used to select the equipment (gun, hose and reel) and the appropriate operating parameters for each plot. This software allows for the selection of the equipment that best meets the design criteria.

irrigation; travelling gun; irrigation design; software

INTRODUCTION

Travelling gun irrigation systems allow for the irrigation of a diversity of crops, but they are most suitable for tall or very dense crops that provide a good ground cover (Tarjuelo, 2005Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología. 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p.). The mobility and flexibility of these systems make them suitable for small farms that have dispersed plots with irregular shapes.

Travelling guns are often criticized for having high working pressures (400 to 1000 kPa), low application efficiency, low distribution uniformity, high operating costs, large droplets size (which can damage the soil structure and the crop) and high rainfall, runoff and erosion. The systems’ performance is also greatly affected by the wind, which causes an uneven water distribution. However, the disadvantages are offset by the low investment cost per unit of irrigated area (ha) and by the limited need for hand labour (Granier et al. 2003Granier, J.; Molle, B.; Deumier, J.M.; Lacroix, B. Optimisation des réglages et de l’utilisation des systèmes d’irrigation par canon-enrouleur. Ingénieres-EAT, Technologies pour les agrosystèmes durables, 2003. 125-140 p. Numéro spécial.; Tarjuelo, 2005Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología. 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p.; Oliveira et al., 2012Oliveira, H.F.E.; Colombo, A.; Faria, L.C.; Prado, G. Efeitos da velocidade e da direcção do vento na uniformidade de aplicação de água de sistemas autopropelidos. Engenharia Agrícola, Jaboticabal, v.32, n.4, p.669-678, jul./ago. 2012.; Granier & Deumier, 2013Granier, J.; Deumier, J.M. Efficience hydraulique et énergétique : les nouveaux critères de performances pour les systèmes d'irrigation du futur. Sciences Eaux & Territoires, Antony, v. 11, p. 30-34, 2013.). The systems’ problems can be minimized if the design and the operation of the travelling gun systems are performed carefully through the proper selection of the operating pressure, the nozzle type and diameter, and the towpath spacing (overlap). Therefore, in the design process, it is necessary to take into account the design criteria aimed at ensuring the quality of the irrigation performed by the travelling gun.

The design of irrigation systems is commonly executed using software tools to perform the hydraulic calculations and select the equipment that best meets the design criteria. One of the major advantages of using simulation models is the ability to simulate different design alternatives (Pedras et al., 2009Pedras, C.M.G.; Pereira, L.S.; Gonçalves, J.M. mirrig: A decision support system for design and evaluation of microirrigation systems. Agricultural water management, Amsterdam, v. 96, p. 691 – 701, 2009.; Gonçalves et al., 2011Gonçalves, J.M.; Horst, M.G.; Pereira, L.S. Furrow irrigation design with multicriteria analysis. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 109, p. 266–275, 2011.; Darouich et al., 2014Darouich, H.; Pedras, C.M.G.; Gonçalves J.M.; Pereira, L.S. Drip vs. surface irrigation: A comparison focusing on water saving and economic returns using multicriteria analysis applied to cotton. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 122, p. 74-90, 2014.). In fact, the development of computational tools for irrigation has been an important area of research, with several models being developed to support irrigation management (Rolim, 2013Rolim, J. Metodologias para a avaliação dos impactes das mudanças climáticas na agricultura de regadio e nos sistemas de rega. 2013. 322 f. Thesis (PhD) - Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2013.; Steduto et al., 2012Steduto, P.; Hsiao, T.C.; Fereres, E.; Raes, D. Crop yield response to water. Rome: FAO Irrigation and Drainage, 2012. 500 p. (Paper, 66).; Rosa et al., 2012Rosa, R.D.; Paredes, P.; Rodrigues, G.C.; Alves, I.; Fernando, R.M.; Pereira, L.S.; Allen, R.G. Implementing the dual crop coefficient approach in interactive software: 1. Background and computational strategy. Agricultural Water Management, Amsterdam, v. 103, p. 8–24, 2012.) and the design and management of irrigation systems (Pedras et al., 2009Pedras, C.M.G.; Pereira, L.S.; Gonçalves, J.M. mirrig: A decision support system for design and evaluation of microirrigation systems. Agricultural water management, Amsterdam, v. 96, p. 691 – 701, 2009.; Gonçalves et al., 2011Gonçalves, J.M.; Horst, M.G.; Pereira, L.S. Furrow irrigation design with multicriteria analysis. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 109, p. 266–275, 2011.; Valín et al. 2012Valín, M.I.; Cameira, M.R.; Teodoro, P.R.; Pereira, L.S. DEPIVOT: A model for center-pivot design and evaluation. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, New York, v. 87, p. 159-70, 2012.). A large number of studies have been performed based on the use of these models (Andarzian et al., 2011Andarzian, B.; Bannayan, M.; Steduto, P.; Mazraeh, H.; Barati, M.E.; Barati, M.A.; Rahnama, A. Validation and testing of the AquaCrop model under full and deficit irrigated wheat production in Iran. Agricultural Water Management, 100, p.1–8, 2011.; Rolim et al., 2011Rolim, J.; Catalão, J.; Teixeira, J.L. The influence of different methods of interpolating spatial meteorological data on calculated irrigation requirements. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, St. Joseph, v. 27, n. 6, p. 979-989, 2011.; Darouich et al., 2012Darouich, H.; Gonçalves, J.M.; Muga, A.; Pereira, L.S. Water saving vs. farm economics in cotton surface irrigation: An application of multicriteria analysis. Agricultural Water Management, v. 115, p. 223-231, 2012.; Faria et al., 2012Faria, L.C.; Colombo, A.; Oliveira, H.F.E.; Beskow, S.; Prado, G. Distorção do vento na área molhada por canhões hidráulicos: Extensão da modelagem para aspersores médios. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, Campina Grande, v. 16, n. 7, p. 699–705, 2012.; Valipour, 2012Valipour, M. Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation System Design Using Tapered Pipes for Pressure Loss Adjusting. Journal of Agricultural Science, Toronto, v. 4, n. 12, p. 125-133, 2012.; Rodrigues et al., 2013Rodrigues, G.C.; Martins, J.D.; Silva, F.G.; Carlesso, R.; Pereira, L.S. Modelling economic impacts of deficit irrigated maize in Brazil with consideration of different rainfall regimes. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 116, p. 97-110, 2013.; Paredes et al., 2015Paredes, P.; Wei, Z.; Liu, Y.; Xu, D.; Xin, Y.; Zhang, B.; Pereira, L.S. Performance assessment of the FAO AquaCrop model for soil water, soil evaporation, biomass and yield of soybeans in North China Plain. Agricultural Water Management, Amsterdam, v. 152, p. 57–71, 2015.; Pereira et al., 2015Pereira, L.S.; Paredes, P.; Rodrigues, G.C.; Neves, M. Modeling malt barley water use and evapotranspiration partitioning in two contrasting rainfall years. Assessing AquaCrop and SIMDualKc models. Agricultural Water Management, Amsterdam, v. 159, p. 239–254, 2015.; Miao et al., 2016Miao, Q.; Rosa, R.D.; Shi, H.; Paredes, P.; Zhu, L.; Dai, J.; Gonçalves, J.M.; Pereira, L.S. Modeling water use, transpiration and soil evaporation of spring wheat–maize and spring wheat–sunflower relay intercropping using the dual crop coefficient approach. Agricultural Water Management, Amsterdam, v. 165, p. 211–229, 2016.).

Some examples of software applications that allow for the design and simulation of pressurized irrigation systems should be mentioned. The ISADIM model (Abreu & Pereira, 2002Abreu, V.M.; Pereira, L.S. Sprinkler irrigation systems design using ISADim. In: ASAE Annual International Meeting / CIGR World Congress, 2002, Chicago.) allows for the design and simulation of solid set irrigation systems. For the design and evaluation of centre pivot irrigation systems, Valín et al. (2012)Valín, M.I.; Cameira, M.R.; Teodoro, P.R.; Pereira, L.S. DEPIVOT: A model for center-pivot design and evaluation. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, New York, v. 87, p. 159-70, 2012. developed the DEPIVOT simulation model. Additionally, the MIRRIG software (Pedras et al., 2009Pedras, C.M.G.; Pereira, L.S.; Gonçalves, J.M. mirrig: A decision support system for design and evaluation of microirrigation systems. Agricultural water management, Amsterdam, v. 96, p. 691 – 701, 2009.; Darouich et al., 2014)Darouich, H.; Pedras, C.M.G.; Gonçalves J.M.; Pereira, L.S. Drip vs. surface irrigation: A comparison focusing on water saving and economic returns using multicriteria analysis applied to cotton. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 122, p. 74-90, 2014. is a DSS (Decision Support System) that performs the design and evaluation of micro-irrigation systems and comprises the simulation models, a multi-criteria analysis module and a database. Software applications for travelling gun irrigation systems include the IRRIPARC (Granier et al., 2003)Granier, J.; Molle, B.; Deumier, J.M.; Lacroix, B. Optimisation des réglages et de l’utilisation des systèmes d’irrigation par canon-enrouleur. Ingénieres-EAT, Technologies pour les agrosystèmes durables, 2003. 125-140 p. Numéro spécial., TRAVGUN (Smith et al., 2008)Smith, R.J.; Gillies, M.H.; Newell, G.; Foley, J.P. A decision support model for travelling gun irrigation machines. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 100, p. 126 – 136, 2008. and SIA (Oliveira et al., 2013)Oliveira, H.F.E.; Colombo, A.; Faria, L.C.; Beskow, S., Prado, G. SIA: Modelo para simulação da irrigação por aspersão - Calibração e validação. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, Campina Grande, v.17, n.3, p.253–260, 2013. models, which simulate several regulations performed in the equipment, allowing for estimates of their performance to improve the system efficiency. The SIMULASOFT software, described in Prado & Colombo (2010)Prado, G.; Colombo A. Determinação do perfil radial de aspersores a partir de ensaios de distribuição de água em sistemas autopropelidos de irrigação. Engenharia Agrícola, Jaboticabal, v.30, n.2, p.232-243, mar./abr. 2010., simulates the precipitation depths applied by a gun moving along its path based on the gun discharge, radius, wetted sector angle, travel speed and radial application depth profile.

The Enrolador software was developed to design and evaluate the performance of travelling gun irrigation systems. This program selects the equipment that best meets the design criteria, performs a simulation of the operation of the designed equipment, simulating the gun precipitation profile, and provides a performance evaluation. When the travelling guns are poorly designed and managed, they often present low distribution uniformity and low irrigation efficiencies (Granier et al. 2003Granier, J.; Molle, B.; Deumier, J.M.; Lacroix, B. Optimisation des réglages et de l’utilisation des systèmes d’irrigation par canon-enrouleur. Ingénieres-EAT, Technologies pour les agrosystèmes durables, 2003. 125-140 p. Numéro spécial.; Tarjuelo, 2005Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología. 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p.). Therefore, a design software that minimizes these negative aspects is an important tool. In addition to introducing the Enrolador software, the purpose of this paper is to present the results of an experimental application of the Enrolador software to evaluate its ability to properly design travelling gun irrigation systems.

The following sections describe the theoretical basis of the Enrolador software, the software architecture, and the experimental application performed. The results related to the equipment selected for each simulation are presented and discussed, and the main conclusions are presented.

ENROLADOR SOFTWARE

The Enrolador software was developed in Visual Basic 2005 and consists of a graphical user interface (GUI) (Figure 1) and three calculation modules: hydraulic design, precipitation simulation and performance evaluation. The conceptual structure of the program is shown in Figure 2.

FIGURE 1
Enrolador software graphical user interface.

FIGURE 2
Conceptual framework of the Enrolador software (Rolim, 2013Rolim, J. Metodologias para a avaliação dos impactes das mudanças climáticas na agricultura de regadio e nos sistemas de rega. 2013. 322 f. Thesis (PhD) - Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2013.).

The software interface is quite simple, consisting of command buttons that run each of the program modules. The input data are supplied to the model through text files..

To perform the design of the irrigation system, the software uses the peak irrigation requirements calculated by a soil water balance simulation model as the input data. The software also considers the soil, crop and plot characteristics. Based on the input data, the irrigation system design is performed by selecting the equipment from the database (gun, hose and reel, and optionally the main line) that best meets the design criteria. As outputs, the program produces a text file containing the equipment selected, the design flow rate, the pipe diameters, and the required pressure in the hydrant. These data can be used as input to the gun precipitation profile simulation module. The text file structure of this program is presented in Figure 3.

FIGURE 3
Text file structure of the Enrolador software (Rolim, 2013).

CALCULATION PROCEDURE IMPLEMENTED IN THE ENROLADOR SOFTWARE

DESIGN MODULE

The calculation procedure implemented by this software (Rolim, 2013Rolim, J. Metodologias para a avaliação dos impactes das mudanças climáticas na agricultura de regadio e nos sistemas de rega. 2013. 322 f. Thesis (PhD) - Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2013.) for the design of travelling gun systems is based on the methodology proposed by Tarjuelo (2005)Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología. 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p., which consists of the following main steps:

1- Irrigationparameters:

The design process starts with the computation of the gross irrigation depth (Dg):

where,

Dn is the net peak irrigation depth [mm] and Ea is the application efficiency [fraction].

2- Design flow rate:

The design flow rate is computed according to the following expression (Tarjuelo, 2005Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología. 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p.):

where,

Q is the design flow rate [m3/h];

Td is the daily irrigation time [h/day];

A is the irrigated area [ha], and

I is the time interval between irrigations [days].

3- Gun selection:

The gun selection is made based on the design flow rate (Q) and the recommended working pressures range according to the values recommended by CEMAGREF (1992)CEMAGREF. Irrigation – Guide pratique. 2nd éd. Paris: CEMAGREF et Editions France Agricole, 1992. 294 p.. After selecting the gun, it is necessary to verify that the average application rate is smaller than the soil infiltration rate (CEMAGREF 1992CEMAGREF. Irrigation – Guide pratique. 2nd éd. Paris: CEMAGREF et Editions France Agricole, 1992. 294 p.; Tarjuelo 2005Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología. 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p.).

where,

It is the average application rate [mm/h];

R is the gun wetted radius [m], and

αsr is the wetted sector angle [º].

4- Towpath spacing:

The towpath spacing (Ts) is defined as the function of the recommended spacing (as a percentage of the wetted diameter) under various wind conditions.

5- Travel speed:

The travel speed is computed by the following expression:

where,

V is the travel speed [m/h] and Ts is the towpath spacing [m].

6- Pressure required in the hydrant:

The pressure required in the hydrant is computed by the following expression (CEMAGREF, 1992CEMAGREF. Irrigation – Guide pratique. 2nd éd. Paris: CEMAGREF et Editions France Agricole, 1992. 294 p.; Tarjuelo, 2005Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología. 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p.):

where,

Phidr is the pressure required in the hydrant [kPa];

Pg is the pressure required in the gun [kPa];

Hh is the head loss in the hose [m];

Hrs is the head loss in the reel, propulsion, control mechanisms and other singularities [m];

Hz is the head loss due to the height of the gun relative to the ground [m];

Hml is the head loss in the main line [m], and

ΔHsl is the head loss due to the slope between the hydrant and the initial position of the gun [m].

The flowchart of the design module of the Enrolador software is shown in Figure 4.

FIGURE 4
Flowchart of the calculation procedure used to design the travelling gun irrigation systems (Rolim, 2013Rolim, J. Metodologias para a avaliação dos impactes das mudanças climáticas na agricultura de regadio e nos sistemas de rega. 2013. 322 f. Thesis (PhD) - Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2013.).

APPLICATION DEPTH PROFILE SIMULATION MODULE

This module performs the simulation of one gun working along its trajectory. It simulates the spatial distribution of water over the ground by the gun under the assumption that there is no wind. The module enables the estimation of water height applied to a set of points (fictitious rain gauges) perpendicular to the moving direction of the travelling gun, thus imitating the placement of rain gauges on the ground during a field evaluation. This module produces the precipitation heights that will be used by the evaluation module to calculate the performance indicators of the designed irrigation system. The gun radial precipitation profile is approximated by a function, triangular or elliptical, which is defined according to the gun discharge, radius and wetted sector angle. The input data for the simulation of the application depth profile consist of the gun radius [m], gun discharge [m3/h], wetted sector angle [º], travel speed [m/h], radial precipitation profile function, and fictitious rain gauge spacing [m] (Rolim, 2013Rolim, J. Metodologias para a avaliação dos impactes das mudanças climáticas na agricultura de regadio e nos sistemas de rega. 2013. 322 f. Thesis (PhD) - Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2013.).

EVALUATION MODULE

This module evaluates the performance for the travelling gun irrigation system according to the methodology proposed by Keller & Bliesner (1990)Keller, J.; Bliesner, R.D. Sprinkler and trickle irrigation. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1990. 652 p. and Tarjuelo (2005)Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología. 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p.. From the various indicators available to characterize the irrigation quality, the following were chosen: distribution uniformity (DU), coefficient of uniformity (CU), application efficiency (Ea) and the potential application efficiency of low quarter (PELQ) (Keller & Bliesner, 1990Keller, J.; Bliesner, R.D. Sprinkler and trickle irrigation. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1990. 652 p.; Tarjuelo, 2005)Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología. 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p..

This module estimates the performance indicators of the irrigation system based on field data collected in the assessment of existing systems, or in water heights data produced by the precipitation profile simulation module, for the irrigation systems being designed.

EXPERIMENTAL APPLICATION

The experimental application of the Enrolador software was performed in Évora, in the Alentejo region, Portugal, to test it's ability to perform the design of the travelling gun systems. The base data used in the design of the travelling gun systems comprised data relative to the characteristics of the plot, crop, wind speed, irrigation, and equipment data.

Meteorological data from the Évora weather station (lat.: 38º 34' N, long.: 07º 54' W and alt.: 309 m) for the years 1961 to 1990, with a daily time step, were considered. Two crops produced in this region were selected for study: maize and sunflower. To compute the peak irrigation requirements (IRp), the soil water balance simulation with the IrrigRotation model (Rolim, 2013)Rolim, J. Metodologias para a avaliação dos impactes das mudanças climáticas na agricultura de regadio e nos sistemas de rega. 2013. 322 f. Thesis (PhD) - Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2013. was performed. Based on the IRp values, the design flow rates were computed and the travelling guns were designed for each simulation considered using the Enrolador software.

PLOT DATA

Five hypothetical plots with different sizes were considered: 3 ha, 6 ha, 9 ha, 12 ha, and 15 ha, as described in the Table 1. The slope of the plots was null.

TABLE 1
Characteristics of the plots considered in the simulations.

SOIL DATA

The soil considered was the Luvisol (LV) soil group, whose parameters are presented in Table 2.

TABLE 2
Soil parameters of the Luvisol (LV) soil.

PEAK IRRIGATION REQUIREMENTS DATA

The design of the irrigation systems is based on the seasonal irrigation requirements (IR) and peak irrigation requirements (IRp). It is based on the IRp that is defined the design flow rate used in the design of the irrigation systems. The seasonal and peak irrigation requirement values change from year to year depending on the climate variability. Thus, it is necessary to perform an frequential analysis of a series of years, and a minimum of 30 years is generally recommended (Rolim, 2013Rolim, J. Metodologias para a avaliação dos impactes das mudanças climáticas na agricultura de regadio e nos sistemas de rega. 2013. 322 f. Thesis (PhD) - Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2013.; Rolim et al., 2016Rolim, J.; Teixeira, J.L.; Catalão J.; Shahidian, S. The Impacts of Climate Change on Irrigated Agriculture in Southern Portugal l. Irrigation and Drainage, Chichester, v. 53, p. 135-143, 2016. doi: 10.1002/ird.1996
https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.1996...
). To perform the design of the travel gun irrigation systems, a non-exceedance probability of 75% for the IRp values was considered (Table 3).

TABLE 3
Seasonal irrigation requirements (IR) and peak irrigation requirements (IRp), for the non-exceedance probability of 75%.

OTHER PARAMETERS

Other base data used in the definition of the simulations include the average wind speed in Évora (2.9 m/s), application efficiency (Ea = 75%) and daily irrigation time (Td = 22 h).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

TRAVELLING GUN SYSTEMS DESIGN

For each one of the simulations, the design module of the Enrolador software produced a list of the equipment, the operating parameters and the regulations to be performed on the equipment. The gun selected for each simulation considered is presented in Table 4.

TABLE 4
Gun selected by the Enrolador software for each simulation.

In Table 5, the hoses selected for each simulation are presented. The hose diameters ranged from 63 mm (3 ha) to 110 mm (15 ha). The main line diameters and the pressures required at the traveller and the hydrant are also presented. For the main line the Enrolador software selected aluminium pipes with diameters ranging from 76.2 mm (3 ha) to 152.4 mm (15 ha). The pressure required in the hydrant tends to increase with the plot area.

TABLE 5
Hose and main line selection by the Enrolador software for each simulation.

The main operating parameters and equipment settings are listed in Table 6. From the analysis of Tables 4, 5 and 6, the selected equipment (gun, traveller and main line) as well as the operating parameters and settings tend to be equal for the same plot areas because the peak irrigation requirements of maize and sunflower crops are very similar. When comparing the different plot areas, larger equipment is selected as the area to be irrigated increases.

TABLE 6
Operation parameters and regulations of the designed travelling gun systems.

EVALUATION OF THE POTENTIAL PERFORMANCE OF THE DESIGNED SYSTEMS

The results of the performance evaluation relative to the distribution uniformity, the coefficient of uniformity and the potential efficiency of low quarter are presented in Table 7. Considering the PELQ values, all the selected equipment presents a good irrigation performance with a minimum of 70.5% and a maximum of 86.7%. These values are overestimations because the simulation conditions assume no wind and perfect equipment management.

TABLE 7
Potential performance indicators of the travel gun systems designed with the Enrolador software, assuming no wind and well-managed and maintained equipment.

CONCLUSIONS

The Enrolador software performs the hydraulic design of travelling gun irrigation systems, automatically selecting the equipment that best meets the design criteria. It performs the gun precipitation profile simulation that is used to assess the potential performance of the selected equipment. This software includes a module that calculates the performance indicators based on data collected from field assessments or on data obtained by simulating the precipitation profile. Thus, this program can be used both for the design of new irrigation systems or to evaluate the performance of existing irrigation systems to improve irrigation management.

The experimental application of the Enrolador software allowed for the design of travelling gun systems in a simple and quick way, which demonstrates the usefulness of having software available to compute an optimized design solution for a given plot layout.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) doctoral grant SFRH/BD/27743/2006 and by the FCT research project PTDC/AAC‐AMB/113639/2009.

REFERENCES

  • Abreu, V.M.; Pereira, L.S. Sprinkler irrigation systems design using ISADim. In: ASAE Annual International Meeting / CIGR World Congress, 2002, Chicago.
  • Andarzian, B.; Bannayan, M.; Steduto, P.; Mazraeh, H.; Barati, M.E.; Barati, M.A.; Rahnama, A. Validation and testing of the AquaCrop model under full and deficit irrigated wheat production in Iran. Agricultural Water Management, 100, p.1–8, 2011.
  • CEMAGREF. Irrigation – Guide pratique 2nd éd. Paris: CEMAGREF et Editions France Agricole, 1992. 294 p.
  • Darouich, H.; Gonçalves, J.M.; Muga, A.; Pereira, L.S. Water saving vs. farm economics in cotton surface irrigation: An application of multicriteria analysis. Agricultural Water Management, v. 115, p. 223-231, 2012.
  • Darouich, H.; Pedras, C.M.G.; Gonçalves J.M.; Pereira, L.S. Drip vs. surface irrigation: A comparison focusing on water saving and economic returns using multicriteria analysis applied to cotton. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 122, p. 74-90, 2014.
  • Faria, L.C.; Colombo, A.; Oliveira, H.F.E.; Beskow, S.; Prado, G. Distorção do vento na área molhada por canhões hidráulicos: Extensão da modelagem para aspersores médios. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, Campina Grande, v. 16, n. 7, p. 699–705, 2012.
  • Granier, J.; Molle, B.; Deumier, J.M.; Lacroix, B. Optimisation des réglages et de l’utilisation des systèmes d’irrigation par canon-enrouleur Ingénieres-EAT, Technologies pour les agrosystèmes durables, 2003. 125-140 p. Numéro spécial.
  • Granier, J.; Deumier, J.M. Efficience hydraulique et énergétique : les nouveaux critères de performances pour les systèmes d'irrigation du futur. Sciences Eaux & Territoires, Antony, v. 11, p. 30-34, 2013.
  • Gonçalves, J.M.; Horst, M.G.; Pereira, L.S. Furrow irrigation design with multicriteria analysis. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 109, p. 266–275, 2011.
  • Keller, J.; Bliesner, R.D. Sprinkler and trickle irrigation New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1990. 652 p.
  • Miao, Q.; Rosa, R.D.; Shi, H.; Paredes, P.; Zhu, L.; Dai, J.; Gonçalves, J.M.; Pereira, L.S. Modeling water use, transpiration and soil evaporation of spring wheat–maize and spring wheat–sunflower relay intercropping using the dual crop coefficient approach. Agricultural Water Management, Amsterdam, v. 165, p. 211–229, 2016.
  • Oliveira, H.F.E.; Colombo, A.; Faria, L.C.; Prado, G. Efeitos da velocidade e da direcção do vento na uniformidade de aplicação de água de sistemas autopropelidos. Engenharia Agrícola, Jaboticabal, v.32, n.4, p.669-678, jul./ago. 2012.
  • Oliveira, H.F.E.; Colombo, A.; Faria, L.C.; Beskow, S., Prado, G. SIA: Modelo para simulação da irrigação por aspersão - Calibração e validação. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, Campina Grande, v.17, n.3, p.253–260, 2013.
  • Paredes, P.; Wei, Z.; Liu, Y.; Xu, D.; Xin, Y.; Zhang, B.; Pereira, L.S. Performance assessment of the FAO AquaCrop model for soil water, soil evaporation, biomass and yield of soybeans in North China Plain. Agricultural Water Management, Amsterdam, v. 152, p. 57–71, 2015.
  • Pedras, C.M.G.; Pereira, L.S.; Gonçalves, J.M. mirrig: A decision support system for design and evaluation of microirrigation systems. Agricultural water management, Amsterdam, v. 96, p. 691 – 701, 2009.
  • Pereira, L.S.; Paredes, P.; Rodrigues, G.C.; Neves, M. Modeling malt barley water use and evapotranspiration partitioning in two contrasting rainfall years. Assessing AquaCrop and SIMDualKc models. Agricultural Water Management, Amsterdam, v. 159, p. 239–254, 2015.
  • Prado, G.; Colombo A. Determinação do perfil radial de aspersores a partir de ensaios de distribuição de água em sistemas autopropelidos de irrigação. Engenharia Agrícola, Jaboticabal, v.30, n.2, p.232-243, mar./abr. 2010.
  • Rodrigues, G.C.; Martins, J.D.; Silva, F.G.; Carlesso, R.; Pereira, L.S. Modelling economic impacts of deficit irrigated maize in Brazil with consideration of different rainfall regimes. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 116, p. 97-110, 2013.
  • Rolim, J.; Catalão, J.; Teixeira, J.L. The influence of different methods of interpolating spatial meteorological data on calculated irrigation requirements. Applied Engineering in Agriculture, St. Joseph, v. 27, n. 6, p. 979-989, 2011.
  • Rolim, J. Metodologias para a avaliação dos impactes das mudanças climáticas na agricultura de regadio e nos sistemas de rega. 2013. 322 f. Thesis (PhD) - Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Technical University of Lisbon, Lisbon, 2013.
  • Rolim, J.; Teixeira, J.L.; Catalão J.; Shahidian, S. The Impacts of Climate Change on Irrigated Agriculture in Southern Portugal l. Irrigation and Drainage, Chichester, v. 53, p. 135-143, 2016. doi: 10.1002/ird.1996
    » https://doi.org/10.1002/ird.1996
  • Rosa, R.D.; Paredes, P.; Rodrigues, G.C.; Alves, I.; Fernando, R.M.; Pereira, L.S.; Allen, R.G. Implementing the dual crop coefficient approach in interactive software: 1. Background and computational strategy. Agricultural Water Management, Amsterdam, v. 103, p. 8–24, 2012.
  • Smith, R.J.; Gillies, M.H.; Newell, G.; Foley, J.P. A decision support model for travelling gun irrigation machines. Biosystems Engineering, London, v. 100, p. 126 – 136, 2008.
  • Steduto, P.; Hsiao, T.C.; Fereres, E.; Raes, D. Crop yield response to water Rome: FAO Irrigation and Drainage, 2012. 500 p. (Paper, 66).
  • Tarjuelo, J.M. El Riego por Aspersion y su Tecnología 3rd ed. Mundi-Prensa: Madrid, 2005. 581 p.
  • Valín, M.I.; Cameira, M.R.; Teodoro, P.R.; Pereira, L.S. DEPIVOT: A model for center-pivot design and evaluation. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture, New York, v. 87, p. 159-70, 2012.
  • Valipour, M. Sprinkle and Trickle Irrigation System Design Using Tapered Pipes for Pressure Loss Adjusting. Journal of Agricultural Science, Toronto, v. 4, n. 12, p. 125-133, 2012.

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    Sep-Oct 2016

History

  • Received
    16 Feb 2016
  • Accepted
    3 June 2016
Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola SBEA - Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola, Departamento de Engenharia e Ciências Exatas FCAV/UNESP, Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane, km 5, 14884.900 | Jaboticabal - SP, Tel./Fax: +55 16 3209 7619 - Jaboticabal - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revistasbea@sbea.org.br