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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Water Management and Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #370349
Research Project: Advancing Water Management and Conservation in Irrigated Arid Lands

Location: Water Management and Conservation Research

Title: Modeling solute transport in the WinSRFR surface irrigation software

Author
item Bautista, Eduardo
item Schlegel, James

Submitted to: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/17/2020
Publication Date: 8/29/2020
Citation: Bautista, E., Schlegel, J.L. 2020. Modeling solute transport in the WinSRFR surface irrigation software. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering. 146(11).

Interpretive Summary: The application of fertilizer with the irrigation stream is a common practice in surface irrigation systems. Adequate and efficient distribution of the fertilizer along the field depends on the hydraulic performance of the irrigation system and on the timing of the fertilizer injection. Because of the lack of specific guidance, irrigators typically apply the fertilizer throughout all or most of the irrigation event, without consideration of the resulting losses. Hydraulic modeling tools are needed to optimize the solute application for an irrigation event. A solute model transport model has been added to the WinSRFR surface irrigation software package. The model It uses advective-dispersive principles to predict the flow of solute with the irrigation stream, and its final longitudinal distribution along the field based on water flow predictions generated by the simulation engine. The proposed model introduces some computational enhancements relative to similar modeling efforts presented by other authors. The computations are robust and execute in little time. The accuracy of the model was evaluated with numerical tests and by comparison with field measurements. The model should be of interest to researchers and practitioners.

Technical Abstract: A solute model transport model has been added to the WinSRFR surface irrigation software package. The model uses advective-dispersive principles to predict the flow of solute with the irrigation stream, and its final longitudinal distribution along the field based on water flow predictions generated by the simulation engine. Computations are based on the fractional stepping method, with interpolation conducted with the Akima scheme. The computations are robust and execute in little time. The accuracy of the model was evaluated with numerical tests and by comparison with field measurements. Results suggest that the model can generate useful predictions under typical irrigation conditons.