A control tool for irrigation canals with scheduled demands

The problem of adjusting the discharges of a free surface flow canal to meet demand by farmers at particular diversion points requires a certain ability to control the canal and also needs a study of flow transients. This article presents an algorithm for feed forward control of the free surface flow in canals based on computational techniques for optimizing problem-solving in unsteady conditions. Once the irrigation demands in a given period of time are known, this algorithm makes it possible to define the movements of all the gates in the canal so as to provide the required discharge at the required time, thereby optimizing use of the volumes of water involved. Use of the algorithm is illustrated by solving two classical canal control problems.