ARI

Final Report

  1. Date:November 7, 2003
  1. Reporting Period:July 1, 2000 – June 30, 2003
  1. Project Number:46850
  1. Project Title:New Electronic Technologies for Volumetric Metering of Delivered Water - Magnetic, Doppler, Vortex Shedding and Ultrasonic Flow Measurement

Principal Investigator (s):Stuart Styles

Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC)

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Dept.

ph (805) 756-2429 fax (805) 756-2433

Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo

  1. Co-Principal Investigator (s):
  1. Cooperator (s):

McCrometer/Water Specialties

3255 West Stetson Ave.

Hemet, CA 92545

ph (909) 652-6822 fax (909) 652-3078

Sparling Instruments, Inc.

4097 N. Temple City Blvd.

El Monte, CA 91731

ph (800) 800-3569 fax (626) 444-2314

SonTek/YSI, Inc.

6837 Nancy Ridge Dr., Ste. A

San Diego, CA 92121

ph (858) 546-8327 fax (858) 546-8150

MGD Technologies

9815 Carroll Canyon Drive, Ste. 200

San Diego, CA 92131

ph (858) 695-9225

Unidata America

17408 SW Boones Ferry Rd.

Lake Oswego, OR 97035

ph (503) 697-3750 fax (503) 697-3571

MACE Instruments

Measuring & Control Equipment Pty Ltd
P.O. Box 911
Pennant Hills NSW 1715
Australia

(+612) 9980 2692 (outside Australia)

Fax: (+612) 9980 2651 (outside Australia)

Panametrics

221 Crescent Street

Waltham, MA 02453

ph (800) 225-8330

Controlotron Corp.

155 Plant Ave.

Hauppauge, NY 11788

ph (631) 231-3600 fax (631) 231-3334

Fluidyne Corp.

2816 West First St.

Cedar Falls, IA 50613

Rocky Mountain Instruments, Inc.

#1 801 Dalton Rd.

Kelowna, BC, Canada V1X 7X3

ph (877) 436-8889 fax (250) 491-3171

Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District

21211 Trefoil Lane

Cottonwood, CA 96022

ph (916) 347-3681

Biggs-West Gridley Water District

335 East Gridley Rd.

Gridley, CA 95948

(916) 846-5502

Madera Irrigation District

12152 Rd. 28 ¼

Madera, CA 93637

ph (559) 673-3514 fax (559) 673-0564

Natomas Mutual Water Company

2601 W. Elkhorn Blvd.

Rio Linda, CA 95673

(916) 925-5936 fax (916) 925-8691

Sutter-Mutual Water Company

P.O. Box 128

Robbins, CA 95676

(916) 738-4423

(916) 738-4327

Turlock Irrigation District

P.O. Box 949

Turlock, CA 95380

ph (209) 88.-8300

Reclamation District 108

P.O. Box 50

Grimes, CA 95950

ph (916) 437-2221 fax (916) 437-2248

Patterson Irrigation District

P.O. Box 685

Patterson, CA 95633

ph (209) 892-6233 fax (209) 892-4013

Truckee-Carson Irrigation District

2666 Harrigan Rd.

Fallon, NV 89407

ph (775) 423-2141 fax (775) 423-5354

  1. Prepared by:Stuart Styles

Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC)

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering Dept.

ph (805) 756-2429 fax (805) 756-2433

Principal Investigator

  1. Executive Summary:

The goal of this research project was to contribute to the development of practical means of measuring the volumes of irrigation water delivered, spilled, reused, etc. There is a growing recognition by irrigation districts and farmers of the need for very accurate and low-cost flow measurement technologies.

This research addressed the conditions for which commercially viable solutions does not presently exist. Specifically, the need exists for an affordable, practical, and permanent solution for measuring flows at the individual farm turnout level. Magnetic, Doppler, vortex shedding, and ultrasonic devices were examined in order to determine the feasibility, reliability and suitability of such technologies in the desired small-scale application. Some irrigation districts have recently installed similar electronic flow meters in large canals and pipelines.

The Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) was awarded a contract to perform Task 5 of the California Energy Commission PIER project titled “Optimization of Water and Energy Resources Associated with Irrigation Water Delivery and Management”. Task 5 deals with this most critical component of the project – water measurement. The contract requires the use of facilities to test and monitor flow measurement equipment in addition to testing the equipment in the field. Rather than contract with an out-of-state laboratory to perform the testing, ITRC constructed new facilities at the existing Water Delivery Facility located next to the Drumm Reservoir; the concrete structures necessary for the testing facilities and the labor to install the structures were funded through this ARI project.

ITRC met with manufacturers that already have units that lend themselves to this work, or which can quickly modify their units for irrigation applications. ITRC also met irrigation districts that have tested various applications of these technologies. A set of standardized specifications was delivered to each manufacturer considering participating in this study. Numerous manufacturers were visited in order to familiarize the key staff with the study objectives. Of the manufacturers interested in participating ITRC selected the companies to utilize for the next stage of the project to provide funding for product modifications. Each was set up with a subcontract for $20,000 through the CEC contract. ITRC made selections of companies whose existing technologies were to be used without any modifications. In addition, 2 irrigation districts, Patterson Irrigation District and Truckee-Carson Irrigation District, agreed to participate for field testing of the selected equipment.

Site visits were made to the hydraulic facility at Utah State University in Logan, the USBR’s hydraulics lab in Denver, Colorado, and the hydraulic facility at Colorado Sate University in Fort Collins. These visits helped ITRC plan the new hydraulic facility improvements at ITRC.

The design stage of the Water Delivery Facility Flow Measurement project began next. The main design concepts include a multi-cell tank structure, a new elevated canal structure, and a diversion structure at the canal’s end. Demolition and construction of the instrumentation test apparatus for the volumetric tanks and elevated flume at the Water Delivery Facility are part of the NIST-traceable flow measurement program will be completed in 2003. Testing of the electronic flow meters at this new facility is ready to begin.

ITRC installed and monitored the various electronic flow meters obtained from participating manufacturers in a variety of test conditions in the field. Detailed analysis of the data collected at participating districts was done in combination with an evaluation of each device’s operation characteristics in order to make an assessment of the strengths and areas for improvement of each flow meter. A set of standard operating guidelines and deployment instructions for each device was developed after the first year of testing that were used in the next round of field tests.

  1. Major Accomplishments:

The first 2 seasons of field testing for ultrasonic and magnetic flow meters began at Patterson Irrigation District (PID). A comprehensive field testing report has been prepared that summarizes the design, installation and operation of the McCROMETER Ultra Mag, MACE AgriFlo, SONTEK Argonaut SL and UNIDATA Starflow meters installed at three farm turnouts in PID. The performance of each device was assessed based on factors such as sensor calibration, ease of installation, performance in the field, maintenance requirements, and accuracy over a range of conditions, and costs.

Information from the testing at PID and other irrigation districts will be used to develop the final detailed evaluation of each flow meter based on actual field applications, in addition to information gathered from the manufacturers and project participants.

The units were installed in similar concrete turnout boxes. Delivery data is being logged and will be compared to PID billing records at the end of the irrigation seasons. In addition to Patterson ID, the following sites were evaluated as part of this project:

  • The SonTek Argonaut SL (similar to the SW model) was deployed at the Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District (ACID) from August 9 to October 4, 2001. The ITRC deployed the SonTek Argonaut SL acoustic Doppler current meter at the USGS gauging site in Redding, California. The average daily flow volume measured with the unit was compared to records for an adjacent USGS monitoring station.
  • The ITRC visited Biggs-West Gridley Water District (BWGWD) to examine their installations of the Unidata Starflow ultrasonic flow meter. Bernoy Bradford, General Manager, has been working with several different installations of the Unidata Starflow meters. The district currently has five devices in the field, one in a flume and the other four in pipelines. The ITRC has cooperated with BWGWD in making recommendations to improve site conditions and to evaluate the overall performance of the units.
  • The portable MGD ADFM unit was deployed in the field at Madera Irrigation District (MID) from August 13, 2001 until August 29, 2001. It was installed in the Main Canal, Recorder Station # 6. The district also current metered the site on two separate occasions, August 15, 2001 and August 25, 2001.
  • The ITRC conducted a site visit to the Natomas Mutual Water Company (NMWC) in June 2001. During this site visit, a portable SCADA demo unit was installed to demonstrate SCADA and the MGD ADFM at the Elkhorn Lift pump site.
  • The SonTek Argonaut SL was deployed at the Sutter-Mutual Water Company (SMWC) from April to July 2001. The flow rate was measured using the SonTek Argonaut in 10minute intervals and the daily flow volume was calculated. The daily flow volume measured by the SonTek Argonaut SL was compared to data provided by SMWC. SMWC provided data for the Sacramento River diversions, the Tisdale Pumping Station diversions, the Portuguese Bend Pumping Station diversions, and the total amount of water diverted by the SMWC.
  • Field tests were conducted in December 2001 with the Unidata Starflow at the Sutter-Mutual Water Company (SMWC) using a unit that had the new LCD digital display screen and upgraded software. The Starflow unit was deployed for three days in a medium size canal at Portuguese Bend to collect flow rate and velocity data measurements on 1-minute intervals. The unit was field calibrated with a Panametrics flow meter at the Portuguese Bend pumping plant.
  • The ITRC conducted a site visit to the Turlock Irrigation District (TID) in October 2001 to install the following electronic flow meters in Lateral 5½: SonTek Argonaut SL, Unidata Starflow and MGD ADFM. These three acoustic Doppler flow meters were setup in a lateral canal to examine their relative performance in the ‘clean’ water conditions at TID. The results from the field tests conducted at TID were reviewed with the district representatives who attended the ITRC’s short courses in October2001.
  • The ITRC conducted a site visit to Reclamation District 108 (RD 108) in August 2001. During the visit, a Panametrics PT-868 Ultrasonic Transit-Time flow meter was installed at the Rough and Ready pumping plant.
  • The MGD ADFM and Unidata Starflow acoustic Doppler meters were demonstrated during the field exercises of the ITRC Flow Measurement short courses held in October and December 2001. The operation of each device was explained to the course participants while they took sample readings in the canal at the Water Delivery Facility.

One of the major accomplishments of this research was the development of the new Doppler meter - the SONTEK Argonaut SW. The original goal was that the SONTEK unit could be marketed for less than $3,000. The current retail price is closer to $5,000. While this is not what was desired for this application, the SONTEK unit has proven to be a good unit for larger canals (50 cfs to 1000 cfs) as a bottom mounted Doppler device. This unit was recognized as the agriculture winner of the exhibitor new product contest at the Irrigation Association's 24th Annual International Irrigation Show and Conference in San Diego, California.

Another significant accomplishment is the introduction and dissemination of information on the new MACE Agriflow Doppler meter. Through this research, the unit has been upgraded to correctly calculate non-metric units (feet, cfs, acre-feet, etc.). The unit is also very popular with those in the field. It continues to provide good results that have been field verified. The unit cost is well under $2,000 and 10 units have recently been purchased by Imperial Irrigation District for field testing.

Lastly, the ARI funding provided much needed funds to completed the flow measurement instrumentation at the Cal Poly ITRC Water Delivery Facility. The ITRC began the demolition and construction work for the new facility in 2001.

Figure 1. The downstream end of the new canal and the multi-celled tank structure


Figure 2. Weigh tank and pump bay.

Figure 3. Weigh tank and pump bay concrete completed.

Figure 2 shows the weigh tank and pump bay facilities under construction. The completed structure is shown in Figure 3.

  1. Impact Statements:

Successful research will impact numerous energy and water management issues. These include:

  • Reduction in groundwater pumping (because surface water deliveries will be more flexible, and water tables will remain at higher levels), thus reducing electricity consumption.
  • Elimination of future increases in groundwater pumping which will occur if the present water delivery infrastructure is not significantly improved, thus reducing escalations in energy consumption.
  • Increased yield per unit of energy consumed, thus improving efficiency ratios. More efficient fertilizer practices, thus reducing indirect energy consumption.
  • Planning for water transfers throughout the state.
  • Reduced vehicular travel (due to automatic systems and remote monitoring), thus reducing fuel energy use and reducing engine emissions, and
  • Reduced deterioration of groundwater quality and quantity.
  1. Dissemination, publications and presentations of research:

California Energy Commission Progress Reports

"New Devices and Electronic Technologies for Volumetric Metering of Delivered Water"

Task #4-Trash Shedding Propeller Meters

Task #5-Magnetic, Doppler, Vortex Shedding and Ultrasonic Flow Measurement

On Cal Poly ITRC web pages:

“SonTek Argonaut SL Doppler Flow Meter”, ITRC Report No. 02-002

most recent version posted 09/26/03

“Doppler Flow Meters”, ITRC Report No. 02-004 posted on 08/18/03

Facilities used in annual Cal Poly ITRC Short Courses:

The Irrigation District School of Irrigation took place at the ITRC in January and March of 2003 for sixteen days. This series of short courses was designed as an opportunity for water and irrigation district personnel to update their technical skills and gain exposure to new advances in irrigation technology.

The school of irrigation was split into two separate series: one for management personnel and the other for field operators. The management series was designed for engineers, managers, technicians, and board members. Classes were held March 10–14 and 17–21. Each day covered new material on the following subjects:

  • Pipeline flow measurement
  • Canal flow measurement
  • Canal modernization
  • SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)

The second series was designed for district field operators. This series was offered twice: once from January 14–16 and once from March 25–27. Each series consisted of three 1-day classes on the following subjects:

  • Pipeline flow measurement
  • Canal flow measurement
  • Canal operation

A related paper titled "Canal Velocity Indexing at Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) Irrigation Project in Parker, Arizona using the SonTek Argonaut SL" was transmitted to the Irrigation Association for publication in the 2003 conference proceedings.

A related white paper titled "Basic Design of Replogle Flumes" was posted to the ITRC website. Replogle flumes are widely recommended flow measurementstructures for most open channel applications in irrigation canals. The Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) has used the basic design promoted by Dr. John Replogle for over 20 years. Replogle flumes are particularly well suited for use in irrigation canals and have major advantages over all other known weirs and flumes (e.g., Parshall flumes, sharp-crested weirs, cutthroat flumes).

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