Center-pivot Sprinkler System Design Based on Soil Intake Characteristics

Download or read book Center-pivot Sprinkler System Design Based on Soil Intake Characteristics written by Robert C. Dillon and published by . This book was released on 1971 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The center-pivot sprinkler irrigation system is a specially designed mobile sprinkler lateral attached to a center pivot at one end which distributes water as it rotates around that point. The main advantage of this type of system is its low labor requirement. This factor along with several others has led to the increased acceptance and popularity of the system. In the High Plains of Texas many farmers have become interested in the center-pivot irrigation system. Some have consulted the Soil Conservation Service for advise on the design of such a system. However, presently the Soil Conservation Service does not have a optimum procedure which can be used to design these systems. All sprinkler irrigation systems have been designed in the past so that the average application rate does not exceed a constant final intake rate of a soil. Toward the end of some center-pivot systems, the average application rate is above the highest design intake rate of any soil. However, these systems are being used on these soils without excessive runoff by operating them at high speeds and by applying small amounts of water per irrigation. By increasing the speed, the lateral is passed over a point before the intake rate of the soil decreases below the application rate of the system. The purpose of this study is to develop a design procedure which will enable the engineer to match the center-pivot sprinkler system to the soil and crop without runoff occurring.