UNIT III – DRIP AND SPRINKLER IRRIGATION

IRRIGATION & DRAINAGE – Lecture 13

Prof. A.V. Pendse

[email protected]
Department of Civil Engineering

BRACT’S, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune-48

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)
(NBA and NAAC accredited, ISO 9001:2015 certified)
 Objective/s of this session
1. To develop analytical skills relevant to the design of irrigation and
drainage projects, planning and management

Learning Outcome/Course Outcome

1. Design drip and sprinkler irrigation systems

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48 2

 Content – Unit III
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system,

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 3

 Water Application Methods: Classification
1. Based on the energy or pressure required
• Gravity irrigation - does not require any pressure, for examples borders, basins and furrows irrigation
• Pressurized irrigation - such as drip and sprinkler irrigations, water is pumped to the systems and by
pressure.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 4

 Water Application Methods: Classification
2. Based on the placement of irrigation water (on, above or below the soil surface)

• Surface Irrigation - the border, basin and furrow and also drip irrigations is under surface irrigation, because
you are applying water on this surface

• Sub-surface Irrigation - when you are applying water beneath the root zone or within the root zone system.

• Overhead Irrigation - sprinkler irrigation where water is applied overhead, almost near to the crop height,
the water is being sprayed on top of the canopy or hand watering for gardening purpose when water is
sprayed on the plant surface

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 5

 Water Application Methods: Classification
3. Based on based on the wetted area of the crop root zone by irrigation - The water you applied on the
surface forms a kind of pattern and it is going to the root zone

• Flood irrigation (basin, border and furrow)

• Drip (or trickle or localized) irrigation

• Sprinkler irrigation

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 6

 Drip Irrigation
➢ A constant steady flow of water is applied directly to the roots zone with the help
of applicators (operated under low pressure) like orifices or emitters or porous
tubing or perforated pipe.
➢ Most efficient irrigation system
➢ Most suited to high-density orchards, tree crops and high value horticultural crops
➢ Drip is not designed for large root systems, since we are applying limited water on
the top surface only, the deep-rooted crops are not suitable for drip irrigation.
➢ It is suited for situations where the water supply is limited like desert areas.
➢ It is very effective for applying nutrients (fertigation, chemigation and
insecticides) just like in sprinkler irrigation system.
➢ Burying the drip irrigation reduces water loss even further preventing runoff
across the surface, this is called sub surface system or sub surface drip.
➢ The International Commission for Irrigation and Drainage (ICID) has
recommended the term micro-irrigation while the American Society of
Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) has preferred drip irrigation. In India it is told as drip
irrigation

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 7

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation
Advantages
➢ Highly efficient system compared to surface as well as sprinkler irrigation systems
➢ Limited water resource can be used.
➢ The amount of water applied to the root zone can be automated
➢ Reduces - nutrient leaching, labor requirement and operating cost.
➢ Nearly uniform distribution of water can be achieved with the system
➢ Lower pressure are required for pumping the water hence low energy requirement
Limitations
➢ High initial cost and technically skilled labor is required.
➢ Damage of drip system due to rodents.
➢ Closer spacing is required which involve high initial cost.
➢ It cannot wet the soil volume quickly and facilitates shallow root zone.
➢ Clean water is required in both drip and sprinkler irrigation; hence these systems have extra filtration
systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 8

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation
History of Drip Irrigation in India
➢ Drip irrigation was practiced in India through indigenous methods such as bamboo pipes, perforated
clay pipes and pitcher/porous cup irrigation.
➢ The bamboo made long hollow pipes of varying diameter (50-100cm) are used in making channels by
the tribal farmers of Meghalaya for drip irrigation to betel, pepper and areca nut crops.
➢ The source of water is hill streams, which are diverted to hill slopes and the discharge rate at the head
varies from 10-30 l/min. and is reduced to 10-30 drops per minute at the time of application.
➢ Perforated earthenware's were popular in Maharashtra. Earthen ware pitchers and porous cups were
popular in Rajasthan and Haryana for growing vegetable crops. The technique of using these is
embedding of the earthen cups of about 500ml capacity at the side of the plant. The cups are filled
with water at 4-5 days interval. This practice advantageously can be used for the farmers of small plots.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 9

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation
History of Drip Irrigation in India
➢ Drip irrigation was introduced in India in the early 70’s at the
Agricultural Universities and other research Institutes. Significant
development has taken place only in 80’s.
➢ The progress of drip irrigation has really gained momentum in the
recent years. From a mere 1500ha in 1985 it has grown to 6000ha
in 1988, 70,859ha in 1994, 2,59,500ha in 2000 and 83,05,765ha in
2024.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 10

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 11

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 12

 To be discussed next time
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system,

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 13

 Thank You

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 14

 UNIT III – DRIP AND SPRINKLER IRRIGATION
IRRIGATION & DRAINAGE – Lecture 14

Prof. A.V. Pendse

[email protected]
Department of Civil Engineering

BRACT’S, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune-48

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)
(NBA and NAAC accredited, ISO 9001:2015 certified)
 Objective/s of this session
1. To develop analytical skills relevant to the design of irrigation and
drainage projects, planning and management

Learning Outcome/Course Outcome

1. Design drip and sprinkler irrigation systems

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48 2

 Content – Unit III
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system,

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 3

 Water Application Methods: Classification
Water Distribution in Soils and Wetting Pattern
➢ The shape of the distribution of water when applied from a point source in soil depends mainly on soil characteristics
and gravity force.

➢ The soil texture, the soil horizontal and vertical permeability, capillary suction, presence or absence of impervious
layers, the volume of water applied per irrigation, the rate of application and the initial moisture content influence
the wetting pattern of soil.

➢ The fine textured soil such as clay and clay loam, the capillary forces are strong and gravity force can be considered
negligible. The horizontal movement may be faster than the downward. The wetting pattern usually takes the shape
of a bulb.

➢ In light soil the capillary forces are small and the gravity force has some influence on movement of water. The
downward movement is faster than horizontal, which causes a wetting pattern of more elongation to downward.

➢ The soils in between the fine and light soils the influence of capillary suction and gravity are almost equal Therefore,
the wetting pattern will have more or less equal horizontal and vertical elongation leads to pear shape.

➢ However, the soils are very complicated in nature. Soil characteristics are seldom homogeneous. Therefore, it is very
difficult to predict the exact shape of the wetting pattern.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 4

 Water Application Methods: Classification
Water Distribution in Soils and Wetting Pattern

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 5

 Drip Irrigation - Design
Typical Layout of Drip Irrigation
➢ Drip irrigation has a water source
➢ From the water source, it passes through a sand separator
or cyclone filter, where the heavier particles or sand
particles are going to settle down or separated
➢ Then the clean water goes into the sand filter. Most of the
bacteria, even the clay particles are going to be separated
in the sand filter
➢ From there, there is a screen filter and then the water
passes through the mainline or sub-main.
➢ Each lateral will have drippers at definite intervals and
there is an air valve to release air present in the system
and there is an end stop to stop the water from coming
out at the end of the pipes.
➢ So, the sprinklers are being replaced with the drippers,
otherwise, it is almost similar.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 6

 Drip Irrigation - Design
Components of Drip Irrigation System
The basic essential components of a drip system consist of a pump, distribution lines (main, sub-main, and
laterals) and drippers. For better control and monitoring the irrigation, the system also includes the
equipment, viz. valves, pressure regulators, filters, pressure gauzes, fertilizer applicator, etc.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 7

 Drip Irrigation - Design
Components of Drip Irrigation System
1. Pump and prime mover
➢ A pump of suitable capacity is used to supply water through the components of the system at certain level
of pressure.
➢ The source of water is usually a tank. However, groundwater can also be used directly to the drip
irrigation system.
➢ If the source of supply is natural stream or farm pond there is possibility of organic and inorganic foreign
bodies in water. In such case suction filter should be used for obtaining comparatively clean water.
➢ The diesel engines or electric motors are the common prime mover of the pump. In recent time the solar
pump is being tried to popularize it for drip irrigation purpose.
➢ Usually the centrifugal pumps are used; however, for small system a piston pump can be used

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 8

 Drip Irrigation - Design
Components of Drip Irrigation System
2. Control head
➢ The control head of the drip system is responsible to regulate the pressure and water
supplied, filtering of water, and addition of nutrients in it.
➢ This component includes the fertilizer applicator (tank), filter, and some control valves.
➢ Fertilizer tank: Fertilizer tank is used to add suitable nutrient in drip water, especially
nitrogen. This enables direct application of fertilizer with irrigation water and reduces
the requirement of fertilizer use. The tank is a small vessel having inlet and outlet
connected to the main line. A portion of the flow is directly diverted to the tank to
dissolve the nutrients and further join to the main line through the outlet.
➢ The point at which the tank is connected to the main line is sometime a venturi. This
increases the velocity head and develops the suction to force tank water in to the main
line.
➢ Filter: There should be a good quality filter in control head installation of a drip system.
The filter uses to clean the suspended impurities of water supplied by the pump before it
reaches to drippers. Impurities in irrigation water may cause blockage the holes and
passage of drippers. Success of drippers is greatly depending on the performance of
filter.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 9

 Drip Irrigation - Design
Components of Drip Irrigation System
3. Distribution Lines
➢ Main line: The main line carries the total amount of water for the irrigation system. It connects the different sub-mains to water
source. The main pipes are commonly made of flexible material such as PVC (poly vinyl chloride) or plastics. However, the rigid pipe
of asbestos cement or galvanized steel is also used similar to main line for conventional sprinkler irrigation.

➢ Sub-main: The sub-main feed to the laterals on one or both sides. It is made of either of medium density polyethylene (PE) or of
PVC. There should be balance between the diameter of main and sub-mains. These are determined in consideration to rate of
discharge, number of sub-mains, and friction losses in pipes.

➢ Laterals: It is more commonly made of low-density PE of usual diameter 1 to 1.25cm. The 1.2cm diameter laterals are popularly
used. In some exception cases the small diameter rigid PVC pipe laterals are found in use. The distributors are connected to
predetermine spacing in the laterals or near the plants in the case of orchards. The individual lateral length is usually limited to 40m
and a pressure drop of maximum 10 percent between the two ends of a lateral.

➢ Distributors: The distributors drip the water at low discharge rate and at atmospheric pressure. The distributors may be a dripper or
a nozzle, a micro tube or any type of commercially manufactured outlet.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 10

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Types of Drip Systems
i. On-line emitter or dripper system
• The drippers are fixed externally on the lateral at the designed
spacing. The drippers are colored based on the discharge from each
the dripper. This arrangement based on the color will make it easier
for the farmer while using it.
• The dripper spacing can be changed at any time by taking the emitter
out and putting it in other spacing based on the time of the plant
growth period.
• On-line emitters are commonly used for horticultural crops like
mango, coconut, citrus, oranges, lemon, bananas, etc.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 11

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Types of Drip Systems
ii. Emitting pipe system or the in-line drip system
• Dripper is present inside the pipe. In a pipe or lateral tape, the dripper is present inside and the water pass
from the opening of the dripper inside and slowly takes the long path, and finally, it comes out.
• The drippers in this system are fixed and once installed you cannot change during the growing season.
• It is very effective for row crops like cotton, sugarcane, groundnut, vegetables and floriculture because the
problem of blockages and rodents effect in the field will be reduced if you use this in-line system.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 12

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Types of Drip Systems
iii. Point source emitters
➢ Point source emitters can be classified as:
• long path
• Orifice
• pressure compensating
iv. line source emitters
➢ The classification of emitters depends on the exponent 𝑄=𝑘𝑝𝑥
Where Q is the emitter discharge in lps, p is the operating pressure in kpa, k
and x are the constants for the specified emitter.
Based on the x value you decide the emitter type.
• If x = 1 it represents a laminar flow emitter,
• if x = 0.5 it is an orifice type emitter
• if x = 0 then that is a pressure compensating emitter
In this equation when x = 0 we get Q = k; that means, there is no pressure
effect on the discharge hence it is pressure compensating
Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 13
 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Types of Drip Systems
➢ In the graph shown, the pressure is in the x-axis and the
emitter discharge on the y-axis.
➢ Curves for different kinds of emitters at different k and x values
are shown in the graph.
➢ So, from this chart, you can select discharge by knowing the k
and x values.
➢ For example, at a pressure head of 300 kpa for orifice type
emitter, we get a discharge of about 18 lph.
➢ This graph is very useful for knowing the pressure, and the type
of emitter and the corresponding discharge.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 14

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Types of Drip Systems
Line source emitters
• Porous pipe or tape that discharges water along its entire
length. In the porous pipe water can simply emit through a
small opening and the discharge could be along the line.
• It is primarily used for row crops, sometimes you see the
bubblers discharging into the furrows.
• The line source emitters could be mono-walled or bi-walled
(twin wall). In the bi-walled, the pipe has two layers and the
water initial come out through the openings of the inner layer
and it is taking a long path to come out from the inner walled
to the outer walled so the flow rate is then reduced because
instead of discharging immediately it is taking some time in the
second wall and releasing it reduce the discharge further.
• Polyethylene pipes are commonly used

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 15

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Drip Irrigation Laterals
➢ Laterals deliver water from mainline and sub-mains to the emission devices
➢ Materials used are generally polyethylene and PVC
➢ The diameter of the point source emitters could be 10 to 20 mm and for line source emitters its more than
20 mm because you have to accommodate the emitters inside the pipe.
➢ Designed to maintain acceptable variation of emission device discharge along their length
➢ The manufacturer's coefficient of variation (Cv) determines the acceptability, if the coefficient of variation is
close to your manufactures Cv when you test that in the field then it is working well or it is acceptable.
➢ The Cv is determined from flow rate measurements for several identical emission devices and is computed
with the following equation:
1
2 2 2 2 2
𝑞1 + 𝑞2 + ⋯ + 𝑞𝑛 − 𝑛𝑞
𝐶𝑣 = 1
𝑞ത 𝑛 − 1 2
Where, 𝐶𝑣 = manufacturer' coefficient of variation
q1, q2……. qn =discharge of emission device, l/hr; q̅ = Average discharge of emission devices tested, l/hr
n= number of emission devices tested
Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 16
 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Drip Irrigation Laterals
The American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) now known as the American Society of Agricultural
Biological Engineers (ASABE) has recommended the Cv value ranges and classification as shown in the table. So,
when you buy the emitter, you have to test it in the field and find out the Cv and compare it with the
manufacturers to know whether the emitter is working well or not.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 17

 To be discussed next time
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system,

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 18

 Thank You

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 19

 UNIT III – DRIP AND SPRINKLER IRRIGATION
IRRIGATION & DRAINAGE – Lecture 15

Prof. A.V. Pendse

[email protected]
Department of Civil Engineering

BRACT’S, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune-48

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)
(NBA and NAAC accredited, ISO 9001:2015 certified)
 Objective/s of this session
1. To develop analytical skills relevant to the design of irrigation and
drainage projects, planning and management

Learning Outcome/Course Outcome

1. Design drip and sprinkler irrigation systems

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48 2

 Content – Unit III
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system,

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 3

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Emission Uniformity

1.27 𝑄𝑚𝑖𝑛
𝐸𝑈 = 100 1 − 𝐶𝑣
𝑁𝑒 𝑄𝑎𝑣𝑔

Where,
• 𝐸𝑈= design emission uniformity, % (Emission uniformity means a measure of how evenly drip and micro
spray emitters apply water)
• 𝑁𝑒= Number of point source emitters per emission point
• 𝐶𝑣 = Manufacture’s coefficient of variation
• 𝑄𝑚𝑖𝑛=minimum emitter discharge rate in the system, L/h
• 𝑄𝑎𝑣𝑔 = average or design emitter discharge rate, L/h

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 4

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Emission Uniformity
• Table of recommended ranges of design emission uniformity is
shown below
• Permanent crops are like the orchard crops, once it is installed it
remains for 10-15 years. Line source emitters are used on annual
row crops, for example, vegetable crops.
• In the table, ‘a’ means spaced > 4 m and ‘b’ indicate spacing < 2
m. The topography is also important to determine the type of
emitters. ‘c’ indicate slope < 2 % uniform slope and ‘d’ is for slope
> 2 % that is an undulating slope or steep slope.
• You can see the EU range for arid areas is 90 to 95 % in case of
point source emitter crops that are greater than 4 m spacing and
less than 2 %.
• Similarly, you can find out the line source emitters on annual
crops for less than 2% slope and you can achieve 80 to 90%. This
table is very important to know the emission uniformity of
emitter type and soil topography.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 5

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
Data Given:
1. Crop coefficient: Kc
2. Spacing: Area covered by each dripper
3. Total area to be covered by drip network
4. Slope
5. Water Source: Well, tank etc.
6. Pan Evaporation along with pan coefficient
7. Soil characteristics: Type, Field capacity, Wilting Point, Bulk Density
8. Effective Root Zone Depth
9. Wetted Area in percentage
10. Maximum Pump Discharge

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 6

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
Step 1: Calculation of depth of irrigation
ETc= ET0 × Kc = Ep × Kp × Kc
Where,
ET0 =Evapotranspiration of reference crop
Kc = crop coefficient
Ep = pan evaporation
Kp = pan coefficient
Etc = Evapotranspiration of crop to be irrigated

Step 2: Volume of water to be applied to individual plant

Volume = Effective area covered by each dripper × Depth of root zone

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 7

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
Step 3: Number of Emitters per plant
Number of Emitters per plant is to be selected (based on layout). Say, One emitter per plant (e.g. 4lph)

Step 4: Irrigation Time

Irrigation time = Volume/Discharge rate

Step 5: Number of Emitters per lateral

Assuming the main is going exactly half of the field:
lateral length = Field length/2
Emitter spacing on lateral = Plant spacing
Number of emitters per lateral = lateral length/Emitter spacing on lateral

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 8

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
Step 6: Discharge through one lateral
QLateral = No. of emitters per lateral x discharge of one emitter

Step 7: Number of laterals per manifold

In drip irrigation, a manifold is a submain distribution pipe that connects multiple laterals (drip lines or tubing) to a
single water source. It distributes water evenly across the laterals, ensuring efficient irrigation.
Number of lateral that can be operated = pump discharge/discharge through one lateral
Number of laterals on one side (assuming length of field divided into two half's) = Breadth of the field/Distance
between two laterals
Total number of laterals = Number of laterals on one side × 2
Number of manifolds = Total number of laterals/ Number of lateral operated for a given pump discharge

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 9

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
FOR REFERENCE ONLY
Step 8: Size of lateral
𝑲𝑪𝑳𝑸𝒎
Darcy Weisbach equation: 𝑯𝟏 =
𝑫𝟐𝒎+𝒏
Where,
H1 = friction loss, m
K = friction factor that depends on pipe material;
L = Length of pipe, m;
Q = Discharge, l/min;
D = Diameter of pipe, mm;
C, m and n= Constants (for D-W equation

Assume a lateral diameter to find velocity

𝜌𝐷𝑉
Find Reynolds number 𝑁𝑅 =
𝜇

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 10

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
FOR REFERENCE ONLY
Step 8: Size of lateral
Knowing the Reynolds number, find out the friction factor.
Estimate K value
K is given by (For D-W) 𝐾=0.811(𝑓/𝑔)
Where,
𝑓 = friction factor from the moody diagram; g is the acceleration due to gravity
Knowing the Reynolds number (NR),
For NR less than 2000 (laminar flow) 𝑓=64/𝑁R
For NR between than 2000 and 100000 (turbulent flow) 𝑓=0.32𝑁𝑅−0.25
For NR greater than 100000 (Fully turbulent flow) 𝑓=0.80+2 log(𝑁𝑅/√𝑓)
By knowing NR you can estimate small f, and then finally the K value.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 11

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
FOR REFERENCE ONLY
Step 8: Size of lateral
Correcting L in Darcy- Weisbach, Hazen- Willams or Scobey
Equation for barb losses. (At the diameter of the lateral a
point source emitter is inserted the emitter will have a barb
in it to push the emitter. The water has to pass through
these barbs and the flowing water which has an abstraction
in the pipe is going to have an additional head loss)
L = L1 + N*CL
L = Corrected length of lateral
L1 = initial length of lateral before correction
CL = emitter connection loss equivalent (CL)
N= no. of emitters per lateral

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 12

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
FOR REFERENCE ONLY
Step 8: Size of lateral
Knowing the K, C, L and Q value, m and n from the graph,
friction loss H1 is estimated
The calculating h1, F we get it from the table; so, for a
particular value of m and number of outlets the
corresponding F value is found. M1 is the minor losses which
is assumed to be 0
h1=FH1+M1
If h1 value is too high(> 5% of static head), assume a larger
diameter of lateral and redo the calculations again.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 13

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
FOR REFERENCE ONLY
Step 9: Size of Manifold
Qmanifold = Qlateral× No. of lateral per manifold
So, knowing the total discharge from the manifold, similar to lateral design, assume a diameter and find out NR-value
f, K, H1, and h1
Manifold design is similar to the lateral design

Step 10: Size of Main

Qmain = Qmanifold
Main design is similar to the lateral design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 14

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design
Design Procedure:
FOR REFERENCE ONLY
Step 11: Total Head
Total Head = Headmanifold inlet + Hmain+ Hstatic+ Hlocal
(Hlocal is continued as 10% of all other heads)

Step 12: Pump Horse Power

ℎ.𝑝. = (𝛾×ℎ×𝑄)/(75×𝜂)
Where,
h = total head in meter
Q = main discharge in cumec
𝛾 = specific wt. of water in kg/m3
𝜂 = pump efficiency

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 15

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 16

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 17

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 18

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 19

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 20

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 21

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 22

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 23

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 24

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 25

 Contd.. Drip Irrigation - Design

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 26

 To be discussed next time
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 27

 Thank You

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 28

 UNIT III – DRIP AND SPRINKLER IRRIGATION
IRRIGATION & DRAINAGE – Lecture 16

Prof. A.V. Pendse

[email protected]
Department of Civil Engineering

BRACT’S, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune-48

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)
(NBA and NAAC accredited, ISO 9001:2015 certified)
 Objective/s of this session
1. To develop analytical skills relevant to the design of irrigation and
drainage projects, planning and management

Learning Outcome/Course Outcome

1. Design drip and sprinkler irrigation systems

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48 2

 Content – Unit III
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system,

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 3

 Sprinkler Irrigation
➢ Sprinkler irrigation is an advanced method of irrigation in which
water is sprayed to air and allowed to fall on the ground similar
to rainfall.
➢ The spraying of water occurs through nozzle connected to a
network of pipes with water under pressure.
➢ The rate of application and area of coverage under a sprinkler is
regulated by suitable selection of nozzle size and pressure in the
system.
➢ Sprinkler irrigation has started in India from mid of 1950s. Due
to requirement of high initial investment, the average Indian
farmers cannot afford the system and therefore the area under
sprinkler irrigation in India was 0.66mha (approx.) out of total
irrigated area of 87.80mHa in 1995.
➢ As of 2021, 6,796.39 thousand hectares of land in India was
covered under sprinkler irrigation. This was part of the
12,908.44 thousand hectares of land covered under micro
irrigation in India.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 4

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Advantage of Sprinkler Irrigation
The purpose of irrigation is to provide the required amount of water for maintain the desired soil moisture
in the root zone of the crop. The irrigation has to be done at a reasonable cost, power and labor. The
advantages of sprinkler irrigation over the surface irrigation is summarized below:
1. Suitable to almost all soils of infiltration rate less than 4cm/h.
2. Suitable to almost all crops.
3. Suitable to uneven land. Land leveling is not required.
4. Fertilizer, herbicides & fungicides can be applied in irrigation water economically.
5. Can be used against protection in winter frost and for cooling of crops in summer.
6. Supply channels and bunds are not required.
7. Saving in water and labor.
8. Permits movement of farm machinery.
9. Healthy growth of crops and higher yields.
10. Less infestation of pests and diseases.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 5

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation
1. Wind distorts sprinkler pattern and cause uneven
distribution.
2. Ripening soft fruit must be protected from impact of
spray.
3. Higher initial cost excepting where high cost is involved in
land leveling.
4. High power requirement as it is operated at 5m to 100m
head of water.
5. Not suitable for fine textured soil of slow infiltration rate.
6. Movement of portable pipes in some soils after irrigation
may pose a problem.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 6

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Other Use of Sprinkler System
Sprinkler system has numerous other uses. The following are
some of them.
1. Cooling cold storage, livestock and poultry environments.
2. Farm fire protection.
3. Water distribution for compaction of earth fills.
4. Setting of dusts.
5. Log curing.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 7

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Types
• Portable or hand move type where the laterals will be moved, so the part of the
field is going to be irrigated then after that once the irrigation is done the lateral is
moved to the next point and irrigate the next piece of the land, this is called the
hand move sprinkler system.
• The other one is the solid set permanent systems, in commercial crops for
example, permanent irrigation systems are permanently installed; you need not
move this system out.
• The other one is travel gun systems it basically consists of a gun. The gun delivers
the water at high pressure and irrigates the entire piece of the cropland.
• side roll system where the sprinkler lateral is mounted on a kind of shaft which
acts like an axel to the number of wheels the entire thing is going to roll from one
place to another place to irrigate a particular area. The entire system moves very
slowly so that the area gets enough water.
• The other kind is the center pivot and linear move system in this, the system is
mounted on wheels and all sprinklers are on the lateral. The center pivot is fixed
and the entire thing is going to move in circular direction to irrigate, so if you have
a rectangular piece of land the corners are not going to be irrigated which is one
limitation with center pivot system, in order to avoid this some systems, have a
gun to irrigate the corners.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 8

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation System Layout
➢ The sprinkler system consists of the water source, a pump, the mains and sub mains,
the laterals and then sprinklers to riser pipe, bends, air vents or air valves, joints, etc.
➢ Sprinklers are mounted on the laterals, and then there is the mainline and the pump.
The sprinkler sprinkles the water just like rainfall. The sprinkler can have a different kind
of sprinkler nozzles. In the image below the impact-sprinklers are shown, which is the
most commonly seen sprinklers for irrigation. It has the spreader nozzle and then range
nozzles and there is an impact arm that is going to cut down the flow and spreads the
flow.
➢ The water flows out of the sprinkler at a trajectory angle, this angle determined the
wetted area and impact force of the sprinkler droplet. The water ejects from two
outlets (spreader nozzle and range nozzles) and the sprinkler head is going rotate
clockwise and then the jet which is been created is going to spread into the air and the
water is falling like rainfall.
➢ The image also shows the spray pad sprinklers, where the water which is falling on the
pad is going to splash and fall down, that why it is called the impact sprinkler

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 9

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Component of Sprinkler Irrigation System
The typical sprinkler irrigation system consists of the (i) Pumping unit, (ii)
Pipe net work-mains, sub mains and laterals, (iii) Sprinkler head, and (iv)
Accessories such as couplers, valves, plugs, risers, and fittings.
Pump set
➢ The pump is required to lift the water from the source to the supply line at
some desired pressure so that the sprinklers at the remote point also
receives sufficient pressure to sprinkling water and provide good
uniformity to irrigation.
➢ The pumping plant of the sprinkler system usually consists of centrifugal or
turbine pump, a driving unit, a suction line and a foot valve for the
centrifugal pump.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 10

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Component of Sprinkler Irrigation System
Pipe network
➢ The pipe network consists of main, sub-main and laterals.
➢ The main line carries the water from the pumping plant to different part of the field through sub-mains and
laterals.
➢ Sub mains are provided to take water from the main and
➢ The laterals are from the sub mains or the mains

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 11

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Component of Sprinkler Irrigation System
Main lines:
➢ The main lines may be used as permanent, semi permanent or portable. Permanent main is used where the
field area is fixed and the irrigation is required throughout the season. The portable mains are used when the
sprinkler system has to irrigate a few fields.
➢ Steel, plastic, aluminum, asbestos, cement concrete, wrapped aluminum pipes may be used as mains.
➢ The main lines are usually buried in to 45 to 60cm below the ground level so that it may be out of the impact
of farming operations.
➢ The mains and sub main pipes are of same type excepting the diameter of sub mains is less since the
discharge of mains getting divided in to number of sub mains.
Laterals:
➢ The laterals are usually portable. However, it may be buried permanent for orchard, lawns or other special
sites where cultivation practices do not create hindrance due to permanent placement of laterals.
➢ The laterals are of 5, 6 or 12m and each length are equipped with quick coupling devices which enable the
farmers to shift it quickly during farming operation.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 12

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Component of Sprinkler Irrigation System

Sprinkler head
➢ The sprinkler may be classified as rotating and fixed type. Sometime,
perforated lateral pipes are also used as sprinklers. The sprinklers are
adapted to wide application rate and spacing.
➢ The operating pressures are usually ranges between 1.5 to 4kg/cm2.
➢ The most of the sprinklers used in agriculture are slow rotation type.
➢ It may cover small to large area with minimum overlapping and application
rate inconformity to infiltration rate of the soil provides better use of
sprinkler water.
➢ The sprinkler may be single and double nozzle. The single nozzle sprinklers
are used for low application rate. Double nozzle sprinklers provide higher
application rate. One of the nozzles of double nozzle sprinkler applies water
to the considerable distance and the other nozzle cover the area near the
sprinkler. Thus, a good uniformity of application is achieved.
➢ The revolving head sprinklers may be classified based on their pressure range
and position of use in relation to the crops. It is important to ensure the
required pressure on the sprinkler head. Too high or too low a pressure will
cause much poor distribution efficiency of water.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 13

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Component of Sprinkler Irrigation System

Accessories
➢ Pressure gauge: The pressure gauge is used to measure the pressure in main or other points of the system.
These are usually, bourdon gauge type and fixed in the system. The portable pressure gauge is used to
measure the pressure in sprinkler head. The portable gauge-pack with a pitot tube enables the operator to
read the sprinkler pressure in the nozzle under use.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 14

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Component of Sprinkler Irrigation System

Accessories
➢ Couplers: The couplers provide connection between two pipes and between pipes and fittings. The couplers
should have the characteristics of flexible connection, no leak of water through the joint under pressure and
automatically drain out at no pressure, simple and easy to couple and uncouple, and overall be light, non
corrosive and durable.
➢ Water meter: The water meter is used to measure the water delivered to the main, sub main or to any
lateral. The water can records the quantity of water supplied at any instant of time. Thus, it provides the
supply of any predetermined amount in a given time to the field. In India the irrigation water is not usually
measured as because the users use to pay on area basis. However, this is necessary towards the economical
and efficient management of costly irrigation water.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 15

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Component of Sprinkler Irrigation System

Accessories
➢ Fertilizer applicator: It is used to apply the fertilizers, which are soluble to water through the sprinkler at a
desired rate. The fertilizer applicator is connected usually to the main as a component of control head. The
flow through the fertilizer applicator is induced by creating the slight difference in pressure at the water inlet
and outlet of it. The difference of pressure causes to suck fertilizer with water in sprinkler system.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 16

 To be discussed next time
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 17

 Thank You

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 18

 UNIT III – DRIP AND SPRINKLER IRRIGATION
IRRIGATION & DRAINAGE – Lecture 17

Prof. A.V. Pendse

[email protected]
Department of Civil Engineering

BRACT’S, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune-48

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)
(NBA and NAAC accredited, ISO 9001:2015 certified)
 Objective/s of this session
1. To develop analytical skills relevant to the design of irrigation and
drainage projects, planning and management

Learning Outcome/Course Outcome

1. Design drip and sprinkler irrigation systems

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48 2

 Content – Unit III
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system,

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 3

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Principles of sprinkler operation
➢ The water jet ejected from the nozzle of the sprinkler break down in to different diameter
droplets over an area around each sprinkler.
➢ The principle of sprinkler application of water is to apply uniformly the calculated depth of
water at a predetermined rate.
➢ The distribution pattern is the representation of water depths in different points within the area
of coverage. This can be measured by collecting the water in the cans spaced evenly in the area
of application.
➢ The distribution pattern is symmetrical at no or light wind condition but get disturbed under
high wind. The characteristic distribution pattern of the sprinklers is generally provided by the
manufacturers under no wind condition.
➢ The spray distribution characteristic of a sprinkler varies much with nozzle size and operating
pressure. At lower pressures, the droplets are larger and fall away from the sprinkler. At higher
pressures, the droplets are much finer and fall near the sprinkler.
➢ Finer particles are susceptible to excessive wind-drift and evaporation. Thus, in case of much
variation of pressure, either low or high, there is great scope of poor application uniformity
though the sprinklers are spaced properly. This necessitates the appropriate design to ensure
the suitable pressure in every point in the field.
Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 4
 Sprinkler Irrigation
Distribution pattern:
➢The typical distribution pattern of single and
double nozzle sprinklers are trapezoidal and
triangular respectively as shown in figure.

➢The probable distribution pattern in respect of

depth of water and distance from the sprinkler
under favorable and windy conditions are
shown in figure. Since the water application
rate of sprinkler is always less or equal to intake
rate of soil the applied water is taken to be
absorbed at the point of application.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 5

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Distribution pattern:
➢ The uniformity of water application may be expressed by a
uniformity coefficient or to percentage. From the figure it is
observed that depth of water is progressively diminishing towards
away from the sprinkler. Therefore, to achieve acceptable
distribution uniformity there must be overlapping of water
application from the adjacent sprinklers.
➢ The degree of overlapping depends on the characteristic
distribution pattern of the sprinkler. Usually, less overlap is required
for sprinklers that provide more or less trapezoidal distribution
pattern than the triangular pattern.
➢ In general, the rectangular arrangement of sprinklers provide wider
spacing between the sprinklers, the distance between the laterals is
about 60-65% and 70-75% for triangular and trapezoidal
respectively and the spacing between the sprinklers on the lateral is
equivalent to about 40% of the wetted diameter are expected to
produce an acceptable distribution uniformity.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 6

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Uniformity coefficient:
➢ The degree of uniformity of application of water in the wetted area of a sprinkler determines how effectively
the application is made.
➢ Pressure-nozzle size relation, sprinkler spacing and the wind condition influence the uniformity of
application.
➢ The coefficient of uniformity may be computed by the depths of water caught in the cans placed at regular
interval in the area of sprinkling. It may be expressed by the following equation:
σ𝑥
𝐶𝑢 = 100 1.0 −
𝑚𝑛
where, Cu = uniformity coefficient in percent
m = average rate of water application, mm
n = total number of observation, n
x = numerical deviation of individual observation from the average application rate, mm.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 7

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Example: Determine the coefficient of uniformity in application of water from the following data as obtained in
a field test on a square plot bounded by sprinklers. The depth of water is measured in millimeter.
Observation Frequency Application * Numerical Frequency *
frequency Deviations deviation
15.6 1 15.6 2.005 2.005
15.4 1 15.4 1.855 1.855
15.1 1 15.1 1.555 1.555

14.9 1 14.9 1.355 1.355

14.8 2 29.6 1.255 2.510
14.7 2 29.4 1.155 2.310
14.6 2 29.2 1.055 2.110
14.5 1 14.5 0.955 0.955
14.4 1 14.4 0.855 0.855
14.3 2 28.6 0.755 1.510
14.2 2 28.4 0.655 1.310
14.1 2 28.2 0.555 1.110
14.0 3 42.0 0.455 1.365
Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 8
 Sprinkler Irrigation
Example: Determine the coefficient of uniformity in application of water from the following data as obtained in
a field test on a square plot bounded by sprinklers. The depth of water is measured in millimeter.
Observation Frequency Application * Numerical Frequency *
frequency Deviations deviation
13.9 4 39.6 0.355 1.420
13.8 1 13.8 0.255 0.225
13.6 3 40.8 0.055 0.165
13.5 1 13.5 0.045 0.045
13.1 1 13.1 0.445 0.455
13.0 2 26.0 0.545 1.090
12.9 2 25.8 0.645 1.290
Cu=100(1 – (29.32/514.7)) = 94.3%
12.7 1 12.7 0.845 0.845
12.3 1 12.3 1.245 1.245
11.8 1 11.8 1.745 1.745
∑=38 ∑=514.7 ∑=29.32
Mean= 13.545

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 9

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Uniformity coefficient:
➢ Since the application of water from an individual sprinkler decreases outer wards, the application of
sprinklers requires overlapping from every direction at certain extent for better application efficiency.
➢ For the purpose of test usually there will be overlapping of four sprinklers in rectangular arrangement.
However, the square or triangular arrangement also can be made.
➢ With the certain overlapping, the application rate may have maximum uniformity. Having this fixed, the
spacing of the sprinklers on the laterals (Sl) to be varied and the uniformity of application to be examined. At
certain overlapping there will be a best uniformity. Assuming the sprinklers with certain spacing between
the laterals Sm and along the laterals Sl at four corners of the rectangular arrangements, superimpose the
identical pattern of each of the sprinklers so that the small squares around the boundaries are superimposed
nicely to one upon another.
➢ The accumulated application of water at each superimposed square can be readily calculated. This will
provide an approximation to the distribution of water application bounded by the sprinklers. A few trials may
be required to arrive at the best approximation.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 10

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation System: Design Aspects
➢ The first thing is system layout
➢ Next is operating pressure, nozzle diameter, sprinklers discharge, and wetted diameter
➢ Then spacing between sprinklers and laterals is very important to be able to irrigate the entire area
➢ Design of mainline and sub-lines involves the length and diameter and also the material, so these
three things will be considered while designing a pipe or mainline and subline.
➢ Pivot or ranger length. Suppose in the center pivot irrigation, the system is going to rotate around in a
circular direction, so in one rotation how much area it is going to cover is the ranger length.
➢ System capacity for water supply
➢ Pump design is also important to maintain the desired pressure in the system.
In the sprinkler discharge, there is a thumb rule that there should not be more than 10% variation
between the points of highest and lowest pressure in the system. So, if you have a pump in a system; we
have more pressure at the head end than at the field end, so the pressure difference between them
should not be more than 10%. The difference between the maximum and minimum pressure in a
sprinkler system should not be more than 10%.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 11

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation System: Design Principles
1. Estimate application rate which is based on planned crops or atmospheric water demand and soil
intake rate. So, you have to consider what is the crop we are growing and what kind of soil you are
using and what atmospheric parameters are influencing in that particular area. These things should
be taken care of before drawing a layout
2. Draw a layout based on your area and decide the number of moves
3. Optimize the sprinkler spacing and then laterals, nozzle size, operating pressure - that provide
design application and distribution pattern.
4. Design of sub mains, main lines and supply lines such that required quantities are conveyed to all
operating laterals lines in the required pressures.
5. Finally Design of the pump and power units such that it can efficiently convey the water to the last
point of the system layout.
So, these are the principles or basic things you need to consider in the design. The first thing is the
application rate and layout, sprinkler spacing. And then main, sub-main, laterals and pump designs.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 12

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design: Steps
Consider a simple sprinkler design, not hydraulic designs. So, the first step is to determine the daily maximum supply
required for an area for a targeted crop.
1. Determine the daily maximum supply required for an area (A) for a targeted crop
• The estimation of this volume of water required to irrigate that particular area is based on the maximum
evapotranspiration. So, in sprinkler irrigation, all crops are expected to be sprinkled with water just like rainfall, not
like in furrow and border irrigation where you irrigate at one end and it leads to the other end or tail end. Here we
expect the water which is sprinkled is falling on the ground uniformly all around just like rainfall.
• The main principle in sprinkler irrigation is you have to replenish the evapotranspiration daily water requirement. So,
every day you have to turn on and off the system and irrigate the water which is required by the plants, that is why it
requires less water compared to border and basin irrigations. Another difference in surface irrigation and sprinkler
irrigation is in surface irrigation we look for soil moisture and irrigation should be uniform throughout, but here we
focus the irrigation on ET based.

𝐴 𝑥 𝐸𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥
𝑉𝐴 = ; 𝐸𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝐾𝑐 𝑥 𝐾𝑠 𝑥 𝐸𝑇𝑜
𝐸𝑎
Where,
𝑉𝐴 = Required volume of water for the area A (m3); A = Specific area that is to be irrigated (m2); ETmax = Daily maximum
evapotranspiration (m); Ea = Design application efficiency of the sprinkler; ET0 = reference evapotranspiration at peak
water demand period; KC = crop-coefficient at peak water demand period (refer to UN’s Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO 56)); KS is the soil moisture stress coefficient
In case you are not following any soil moisture stress then KS is equal to 1.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 13

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design: Steps
2. Determine the discharge rate (Q) for the area A based on the minimum operating hours
𝑚3 𝑉𝐴 𝑚3
𝑄𝐴 =
ℎ 𝑡 ℎ
3. Optimize sprinkler and lateral spacing for the individual sprinkler discharge rate and application rate (which is
constrained by the soil infiltration rate). This is important, from the mainline there is a pump that is pumping and
there is a lateral where sprinklers are installed at different locations on the lateral. So, when we estimate the area
and then multiplied with the average application rate (so whole area needs to be irrigated with a particular depth
that is I), the discharge rate at individual sprinkler is given as follows :
𝑞 = 𝑆𝑚 𝑥 𝑆𝑙 𝑥 𝐼
Where,
q = discharge rate for the individual sprinkler (m3/h) for the area (Sm × Sl) m2
Sm = sprinkler spacing along laterals (m); Sl= lateral spacing along mainline (m)
I= average application rate (m/h)
𝑄
𝐼 = 𝐴 , if not limited by soil intake rate
𝐴
𝑆𝑙= Dml (1 − F/2) and Sm = Dmm (1 − F/2)
Where Dml and Dmm are the manufacturer’s rated wetting diameters of lateral sprinkler and mainline sprinkler, respectively;
F is the overlapping factor, normally taken as 0.5–0.75. For windy condition, the overlapping factor may be as high as 1.0
While irrigating through the sprinklers a circular area is wetted if you do not overlap the field you will have some dry spot.
So, to avoid dry spots the distances between sprinklers should be reduced to get the corners of the whole field wet.
Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 14
 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design: Steps
4. Number of sprinklers
𝐴
𝑛=
𝑆𝑙 𝑥 𝑆𝑚
5. Determine System Capacity
𝑄𝑆𝑇 = σ𝑛𝑖=1 𝑄𝐴𝑖
Where i is the number of sub-area like “A”
6. Determine the power requirement to pump the water for a sprinkler system as
P=QST×9.81×HT ; HT=Hm+Hf+Hr+Hs+Hsf
P = power (KW)
QST = total discharge rate for the system (m3/s)
HT = total pumping head (m)
Hm = pressure head required to operate the sprinklers at a minimum required pressure (m)
Hf= total frictional head in the lines (m)
Hr = maximum riser height from the pump level (m)
Hs = suction head (the vertical difference between pump level and source water level after drawdown)
(m)
Hsf = friction head loss in suction line (m)

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 15

 To be discussed next time
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 16

 Thank You

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 17

 UNIT III – DRIP AND SPRINKLER IRRIGATION
IRRIGATION & DRAINAGE – Lecture 18

Prof. A.V. Pendse

[email protected]
Department of Civil Engineering

BRACT’S, Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune-48

(An Autonomous Institute affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University)
(NBA and NAAC accredited, ISO 9001:2015 certified)
 Objective/s of this session
1. To develop analytical skills relevant to the design of irrigation and
drainage projects, planning and management

Learning Outcome/Course Outcome

1. Design drip and sprinkler irrigation systems

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT , Pune-48 2

 Content – Unit III
Part –I
➢ Drip Irrigation: definition and functions, advantages and disadvantages of drip irrigation systems,
suitability of drip irrigation system

Part-II
➢ Wetting pattern (width and depth of wetting front), components of drip irrigation system,

Part-III
➢ Planning and design of drip irrigation systems, installation, and maintenance of drip assembly.

Part-IV
➢ Sprinkler Irrigation: Introduction, advantages and limitations of Sprinkler Irrigation, types of sprinkler
systems, components of sprinkler Irrigation system

Part-V
➢ moisture distribution patterns and uniformity of coverage, uniformity coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Design of sprinkler irrigation systems.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 3

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design
Example
A farm of 25 ha is planned to be brought under sprinkler irrigation. The textural class of the soil is loam-to-silt
loam, having moisture content at field capacity (FC) and permanent wilting point (WP) of about 42% (by
volume) and 26% (by volume), respectively. An infiltration test data showed that the constant (basic)
infiltration rate is 2 mm/h. A hardpan (relatively impervious layer) exists at a depth of 2.0 m below the soil
surface. The long-term average reference evapotranspiration (ET0) rate in that area is 4.5 mm/d. Vegetable
crops are planned to grow in the farm, and the crop coefficient (Kc) at the maximum vegetative period is 1.1.
The climate is moderately windy in a part of the season. Design the sprinkler irrigation system (various
components) for the farm. Assume the standard value of any missing data.
Solution
Given,
Area, A = 25 ha = 250,000 m2; FC = 42% (by vol.); WP= 26% ; Ic= 2 mm/h; ET0 = 4.5 mm/d; Kc= 1.1
Dimp = 2 m below soil surface; Wind status: moderately windy

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 4

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design
Solution
Steps:
1. 𝐸𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥 = 𝐸𝑇0 × 𝐾𝑐 = 4.5 × 1.1 = 4.95 𝑚𝑚/𝑑
(Assuming depletion of soil-moisture up to readily available level, so that 𝐸𝑇 occurs at its maximum rate, i.e., soil moisture stress
factor, 𝐾𝑠=1)
2. Daily water requirement for the area, A (i.e., for the whole-farm here) is
𝐴 𝑥 𝐸𝑇𝑚𝑎𝑥
𝑉𝐴 =
𝐸𝑎
Assuming application efficiency, 𝐸𝑎 = 80%, i.e., 0.8
Then, 𝑉𝐴=[250000×(4.95/1000)]/0.8=1546.875 m3
3. Discharge rate, 𝑄𝐴 = 𝑉𝐴 /𝑡
Here, t= irrigation period = 4 h (assuming for the prevailing windy condition)
Thus, QA = 1546.875/(4×3600)=0.1074 m3/s
4. Discharge rate of individual sprinkler, q= Sm×Sl×I
Sl=𝐷𝑚𝑙 (1−𝐹/2) 𝑎𝑛𝑑 Sm=𝐷𝑚𝑚 (1−𝐹/2)
Assuming overlapping factor, F = 0.7 (higher for windy condition); Taking a manufacturer rated wetting diameter for mainline and lateral
sprinkler as 12 m and 10 m, respectively
Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 5
 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design
Solution
Steps:
4. Discharge rate of individual sprinkler, q= Sm×Sl×I
Sl=𝐷𝑚𝑙 (1−𝐹/2) 𝑎𝑛𝑑 Sm=𝐷𝑚𝑚 (1−𝐹/2)
Assuming overlapping factor, F = 0.7 (higher for windy condition); Taking a manufacturer rated wetting diameter for mainline and lateral
sprinkler as 12 m and 10 m, respectively
𝑆𝑙=12 (1−0.7/2)=7.8 𝑚; Sm=10 (1−0.7/2)=6.5 m
Application rate, 𝐼 =𝑄𝐴/𝐴 = (0.1074×3600)/250000 =1.5468 mm/h, which is less than the soil infiltration rate.
Here, assuming 𝐼 = 2 mm/h (to minimizing evaporation loss in windy climate)
Putting the values, 𝑞 = [7.8 × 6.5 × (2/1000)] × (1000/60) =1.69 l/min
5. Number of sprinklers, 𝑛=𝐴/(𝑆𝑙×𝑆𝑚)=250000/(7.8×6.5)=4930.9≅4931
Note: The above calculation is for fixed lateral. If moving lateral is used, no. of laterals should be based on the maximum working
/pump operating period. Note that each setting requires 4 h for the above calculation, so 16/4 = 4 settings can be operated if 16
h is the working period.
Besides, the number of laterals should be based on the dimension of the land, lateral size available in the market, etc.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 6

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design
Solution
Steps:
6. Power required (motor capacity required), 𝑃=𝑄𝑆𝑇×9.81×𝐻𝑇
Here, QST=0.1074 m3/s
HT=Hm+Hf+Hr+Hs+Hsf
Hm = pressure head required to operate the sprinklers at the minimum required pressure (m) = 28.05 m (= 40 psi) (assuming)
Hf= total frictional head in the lines (m) ≈ 5% of Hm = 1.71 m (assuming/estimating)
Hr = maximum riser height from the pump level (m) = 1.5 m (assuming)
Hsf = friction head loss in suction line (if suction line exists) = 0
Hs = suction head (the vertical difference between pump level and source water level after drawdown) (m) = 0 (assuming that
water is pumped from the supply canal)
Thus, HT=31.26 m
Thus, 𝑃 = 0.1074 ×9.81 × 31.26 = 32.94 KW

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 7

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design
Solution
Steps:
Summary design parameters are as follows: Taking for fixed laterals:
Pump capacity: QST= 0.1074 m3/s
Irrigation period = 4 h
Motor capacity: P = 32.94 KW
Lateral spacing along mainline: Sm = 7.8 m
Sprinkler spacing along lateral: Sl= 6.5 m
Number of total sprinklers: n = 4931
Note: sprinkler simple design doesn’t consider any hydraulic principles in it. It gives the number of sprinklers, the spacing and
pump capacity

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 8

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design
Example
Determine the required capacity of a sprinkler system to apply water at the rate of 1.25 cm/h. Two 186 m
long sprinkler lines are required. 16 sprinklers are spaced at 12 m intervals on each line. The spacing
between the lines is 18 m.
Solution:
Given:
I = 1.25 cm/h
Sl = 12 m; Sm= 18 m
Discharge in each sprinkler, q = (12×18×1.25)/100= 2.7 m3/h
System capacity, Q= 2.7 x (16+16)= 86.4 m3/h

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 9

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design
Example
Allowing 1 hour for moving each 186 m sprinkler line described in the previous example, how many
hours would be required to apply a 5 cm irrigation to a square 16 ha field? How many days are required
assuming 10-h days?
Solution:
Irrigation time to apply 5 cm irrigation at the rate of 1.25 cm/h = 5 /1.25 = 4 h
Time required for moving the lateral = 1 h
Total time per setting = 4+1= 5 h
Area of field = 1,60,000 m2 ; Length of field =√160000=400 m
The entire length of 400 m is converted by the two 186 m laterals, spaced 18 m apart, hence the number
of moves required =400/18=22.2 say 22 moves
Total time required for irrigation =22×5=110ℎ=110/10=11 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 10

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Simple Sprinkler Design
Example
A sprinkler system is to be designed to irrigate 8 ha of the vegetable crop ( Root zone depth = 60 cm ) in deep silt loam soil
(Limiting application rate = 1.3 cm/h; Moisture holding capacity = 9.5 cm/m depth) in a moderate dry climate. The field is
flat. Assuming the allowable depletion level = 50 %, water application efficiency = 75 % and peak rate of moisture use by
crop = 5 mm / day, Determine the net depth of water per application, the depth of water pumped per application,
irrigation period and the required system capacity in ha- cm per day. Assuming that system is operated for 15 h each day,
determine the pump capacity in lps.
Solution:
Total available moisture in the root zone =9.5×(60/100)=5.7 cm
Net depth of irrigation =5.7×(50/100)=2.85 cm
Depth of water pumped per application =𝑁𝑒𝑡 𝑑𝑒𝑝𝑡h 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛/𝑊𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑓𝑓𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑦 = 2.85/0.75=3.8 cm
Irrigation period =2.85/0.5=5.7, say 6 days
To cover the field in 6 days the system must be able to pump and discharge =(3.8×8)/6=5.06 ha-cm per day
The pump capacity, Qsys
𝑄𝑠𝑦𝑠=(2780 x 8×2.85)/(6×15×75)=9.4 lps

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 11

 Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Hydraulic Design
i. Discharge of the sprinkler nozzles
𝑄 = 𝐶𝑎𝑐 2𝑔ℎ
Where, Q = Discharge, m3/s; ac= Cross-sectional area of the nozzle or orifice, m2; g = Acceleration due to
gravity, m/s2; h = Pressure head, m; C = Coefficient of discharge which is a function of friction and contraction
losses (varies from 0.95 to 0.96, for good nozzles)
The above equation will be used for designing the dimensions of the nozzle. For example, by knowing the
discharge, the head and the correction factor, you can estimate the area of cross-section, ac. And since the
orifice is circular so, Area, 𝐴=(𝜋/4)𝐷2 where D is the diameter of the orifice and D can be estimated.
ii. Water spread area of the sprinkler
• The water spread area can be calculated using the Cavazza formula for rotating head sprinkler which is given
as follows:
𝑅 = 1.35 𝑑ℎ
Where, R = Radius of wetted area, m; d = diameter of the nozzle, m; h = pressure head at the nozzle, m.
• The maximum coverage is attained when the jet emerges at an angle of 30° to 32° above the horizontal
• Most rotating sprinklers are standardized at 30° to get maximum coverage.
Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 12
 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Hydraulic Design
iii. Index of the jet breakup (Tanda Formula) - This is very important because it ensures the wetting of the
irrigated area. Suppose, if there is no breakup of jet and there are 2 lines or 2 jets taking place only from
the nozzle then the middle part between the two jets will be a dry spot and then the wetting front will not
be uniform. Hence the breakup is very important to apply water uniformly on the surface just like rainfall.
ℎ
𝑃𝑑 = 0.4
10𝑄

Where h is the pressure at the sprinkler head and Q is the discharge of the sprinkler.
Pd > 2, the condition of drop size is good; Pd = 4, the condition of drop size is the best; Pd > 4, the pressure is
being wasted.
iv. Water application rate
𝑄
𝐴=
360 𝑥 𝐴𝑤
Where, A = Water application rate, cm/h; Aw = Wetted area of sprinkler, m2; Q = Rate of application, lps.
This is important while calculating the pump capacity and then pump power and all those things.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 13

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Hydraulic Design
v. Design of sprinkler main, submains and laterals - Since sprinkler irrigation is a pressurized system; obviously, we are going to
expect friction loss and other losses while conveying water from the head or mainline to the last sprinkler.
• On the lateral, several sprinklers are installed. In the image above, you see the pressure at the mainline which will be Hn, and the
pressure is not uniformly distributed along the lateral. Pressure at the main is not equal to the pressure at the last sprinkler. This is
due to several factors like friction inside the riser pipe or sprinkler heads and bends or other things.
• Hr is the head due to riser height then there is He which head is due to elevation, suppose there is an elevation so, you have to
pump more for the water to reach the last sprinkler. Then after that, there is Ha which is the actual pressure head in the pipe or
lateral and the last one is due to the friction head loss.
• Total pressure variation in the laterals < 20%. Design capacity for sprinklers on a lateral is based on the average operating
pressure, and Friction loss, Hf, in the lateral is within 20% of the average pressure

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 14

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Hydraulic Design
v. Design of sprinkler main, submains and laterals

• Average head Ha, for the design in a sprinkler line: 𝐻𝑎=𝐻𝑜+¼𝐻𝑓

Where, Ho= Pressure at the sprinkler on the farthest end
• If the lateral is on nearly level land or the contour, the head
(pressure) Hn at the main is, 𝐻𝑛=𝐻0+𝐻𝑓
• By solving for 𝐻0 and substituting in 𝐻𝑛 equation and making
allowance for differences in elevation along the lateral,
Hn= Ha+¾Hf+¾He+Hr
Where, He - Maximum difference in elevation between the first and
last sprinklers on the lateral, m; Hr - Riser height, m.
The term ¾He is positive if the lateral run up the slope; negative if it
runs down the slope

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 15

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Hydraulic Design
v. Design of sprinkler main, submains and laterals

Mainline pipe size

➢ Function of the mainline is to convey water to the sub mains and the laterals and finally to the sprinklers.
➢ Allowable Hf in the mainline is 3 m for small systems and 12 m for large systems.
➢ Friction loss in the pipe material is estimated using the following equation
𝐾 𝑥 𝑐 𝑥 𝐿 𝑥 𝑄𝑚
𝐻𝑓 = 𝐹
𝐷2𝑚−𝑛
Where, L = Length of pipe (m, ft); g = acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s2); Ks = for pipe material from
standard table; K = Friction factor that depends on pipe material; Q = Flow rate (l/min, gpm); D = Diameter of
pipe (mm, in); F = Friction factor (F = 1 if there is no outlet between up and downstream locations along pipe.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 16

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Hydraulic Design
v. Design of sprinkler main, submains and laterals

Mainline pipe size

➢ F can be determined as follows:
1 1 𝑚−1
When the distance from the pipeline to the first outlet equals the outlet spacing 𝐹 = + +
𝑚+1 2𝑁 6𝑁2
1 2
When the distance to the first outlet is half of the outlet spacing 𝐹 = + σ𝑁−1
𝑖=1 𝑁 − 𝑖
𝑚
2𝑁−1 2𝑁−1 𝑁𝑚

Where, m and n = appropriate m and n values in Head loss equations Table (previous slide); N = Number of
sprinklers.

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 17

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Hydraulic Design
vi. Pumps and power units
➢ Maximum total head against which the pump is working is 𝐻𝑡=𝐻𝑛+𝐻𝑚+𝐻𝑗+𝐻𝑠
Where, 𝐻𝑡=Total design head against which the pump is working, m; 𝐻𝑛= Maximum head required at the main to operate the
sprinklers on the lateral at the required average pressure, including the riser height, m; 𝐻𝑚 =Maximum friction loss in the main
and in the suction line, m; 𝐻𝑗= Elevation difference between the pump and the junction of the lateral and the main, m; 𝐻𝑠=
Suction head (elevation difference between the pump and the source of the water after drawdown, m

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 18

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Hydraulic Design
Example
Design a sprinkler irrigation system to irrigate 5 ha Wheat crop; Assume the following
Soil type= silt loam; Infiltration rate at field capacity = 1.25 cm/hr; Water holding capacity = 0.15; Root zone depth = 1.5 m; Daily
consumptive use rate = 0.6 cm/d; Sprinkler type = Rotating overhead
Solution:
Step I
Total water holding capacity of the soil = 0.15 x 1.5 = 22.5cm
Let the water be applied at 50% depletion, hence the depth of water to be applied = 0.50 x 22.5 = 11.25cm

Step II
Let the water application efficiency be 90 %
Depth of water to be supplied = 11.25 / 0.9 = 12.5 cm

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 19

 Contd.. Sprinkler Irrigation
Sprinkler Irrigation: Hydraulic Design
Example
Design a sprinkler irrigation system to irrigate 5 ha Wheat crop; Assume the following
Soil type= silt loam; Infiltration rate at field capacity = 1.25 cm/hr; Water holding capacity = 0.15; Root zone depth = 1.5 m; Daily
consumptive use rate = 0.6 cm/d; Sprinkler type = Rotating overhead
Solution:

Step III
For daily consumptive use rate of 0.60 cm
Irrigation interval = 11.25 / 0.6 = 19 days
In a period of 19 days, 12.5 cm of water is to be applied on an area of 5 ha. Hence assuming 10 h of pumping per day, the
sprinkler system capacity would be =(5×104×12.5×10−2)/(19×10×3600) = 0.009 m3/s
Step IV
Take Spacing of lateral (Sm) = 18 m; The spacing of Sprinklers in lateral (Sl) = 12 m
This selection is made after considering the following:
Operating pressure of nozzle = 2.5 kg/cm2
Maximum application rate = 1.25 cm/h
Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 20
 To be discussed next time
Part –I
➢ Drainage of Irrigated Land: Definition and objectives of drainage, water logging, definition, classification, and
impact

Part-II
➢ Types of drainage systems. Surface drainage system: design considerations for land drainage; design
considerations for land grading/leveling, design consideration for field drains and field laterals

Part-III
➢ Layout and design considerations of field drains and laterals - random field drain system, bedding field drain
system, parallel field drain system.

Part-IV
➢ Design of surface drainage channel (computation of design discharge only)

Part-V
➢ Subsurface drainage systems: purpose and benefits; location and alignment of drains pipes; sub surface drainage
system layouts- random system, parallel grid system, herringbone system, combined system; drain pipe
envelope; structures of pipe drainage system- outlet of a pipe drain into a ditch or canal, junctions and
inspection chamber, surface water inlets, bedding; drainage coefficient.

Part-VI
➢ Drain spacing design – steady state formula (Hooghoudt formula); design of drain pipe diameter; materials for
drain pipe – clay, concrete, plastic, drainage wells
Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 21
 Thank You

Prof. A.V. Pendse, Department of Civil Engineering, VIIT, Pune-48 22