Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

A computer model to simulate farm irrigation system energy requirements

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/m039k7707

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  • The development of the energy crisis has caused the use of depletable energy resources to be monitored quite closely in the United States. Within the agricultural sector, irrigation is a large user of energy, with the potential of using many times more energy than all other agricultural field operations. A better understanding of how energy is used by different irrigation systems could facilitate more efficient use of energy by one of the largest energy consumers in agriculture. This thesis attempts to realistically evaluate the total amount of non-renewable energy resources consumed in the irrigation process. Five portable and permanent sprinkler system types, plus trickle and gravity irrigation systems were studied. An evaluation of the energy required to manufacture the equipment, install it in the field, operate it, and transport it for an entire irrigation season was made. This evaluation was carried out in a variety of operating situations, with varying acreages, consumptive use rates, and total irrigation requirements. The paper begins by giving some background information about agriculture and irrigation as consumers of energy. A review of some of the research previously done which relates to energy use in irrigation is given. The evaluation of energy use by irrigation systems presented in this thesis were made with the use of a simulation model which was developed on the Oregon State University OS-3 Computer System. The model predicts energy requirements of an irrigation system by evaluating pumping energy requirements with basic hydraulic equations, the manufacturing energy requirements by calculating the required amounts of basic materials making up the system and the energy of manufacture of those basic materials. The energy for installation and the energy for transportation were evaluated by simulating methods of operation and management used in Oregon. The input parameters used in the modeling process. reproduce as closely as possible operating conditions encountered in Oregon. System types, component depreciation life, irrigation efficiencies and the range of irrigation requirements are ones that could typically be found in Oregon. For the situations considered, it was concluded that gravity irrigation required much less energy than other system types. The energy requirement for drip systems was about midway between the energy requirement for gravity systems and for sprinkler systems for most cases considered. The relative order of energy requirements for the various sprinkler systems was dependent upon the operating conditions considered.
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