Center Pivot Irrigation System

Dr. Mostafa Ahmad Ghaith

Applying Irrigation Water in Circles (vs. squares)

Why
(briefly)

1) Economical

2) Low O & M

3) High Reliability

4) Central
Delivery Point
Applying Irrigation Water in Circles (vs. squares)
Why it’s a little trickier?

In a rectangular system each In a circular system the area

sprinkler applies water to an increases as the radius increases
Identically sized Area (A) Hence, each sprinkler applies
water to a differently sized Area (A)

1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4

A1 = A2 = A3 = A4 A1 < A2 < A3 < A4

 How Does this Weigh up on a Typical System?
(System Capacity = 6 gpm / Fed = 22.74 lpm/Fed)
Circle Area Computations Sprinklers are sized appropriately
Area = π R2 along length of pivot to maintain
uniform applications along linear
Radius Area Ring Area Flow length of the center pivot machine
m Feddans Feddans lpm
50 2 2 46
100 8 6 182
150 17 9 387
200 30 13 683
250 47 17 1069
300 68 21 1547
350 92 24 2093
400 120 28 2729
450 152 32 3457
500 187 35 4253
How Does this Weigh up on a Typical System?

High Pressure
How Does this Weigh up on a Typical System?

Medium Pressure
How Does this Weigh up on a Typical System?

Low Pressure
 Soil / Water Intake Curves

100

75
Intake Rate (mm / hr)

1.0 Family

50
0.5 Family

0.3 Family
25

0.0

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

Time (hrs)
Sprinkler Pressure vs. Intake Characteristics
• Center pivots are used on about half of the
sprinkler-irrigated land in the USA
• Center pivots are also found in many other
countries
• Typical lateral length is 1,320 ft (400 m), or
1/4 mile
• The lateral is often about 3 m above the ground
• Typically, 120 ft (40 m) pipe span per tower
(range: 30 to 85 m), often with one-
horsepower electric motors (geared down)
• At 40 m per tower, a 400 m lateral has about 10
towers; with 1-HP motors, that comes to about
10 HP just for moving the pivot around in a
circle
• The cost for a 1/4-mile (400 m ) center pivot is
typically about $55,000 (about $435/ac 3000
LE. /fed or $1,100/ha), plus about $20,000 (or
more) for a corner system
• For a 1/2-mile lateral, the cost may be about
$75,000 (w/o corner system)

• In the state of Nebraska there are said to be

43,000 installed center pivots, about 15% of
which have corner systems
• Center pivots are easily (and commonly)
automated, and can have much lower labor
costs than periodic-move sprinkler
systems
• The end tower sets the rotation speed;
micro switches & cables keep other towers
aligned
• Corner systems are expensive; can operate
using buried cable; corner systems don't
necessarily irrigate the whole corner
• IPS 6" lateral pipe is common (about 6-5/8
inches OD); lateral pipe is generally 6 to 8
inches, but can be up to 10 inches for 880 m
laterals Long pivot laterals will usually have
two different pipe sizes

• Typical lateral inflow rates are 45 - 65 Ips

(700 to 1,000 gpm)

• At 55 Ips with a 6-inch pipe, the entrance

velocity is a bit high at 3 m/s Typical lateral
operating pressures are 140 - 500 kPa (20 to
70 psi)
• Center pivot maintenance costs can be high
because it is a large and fairly complex
machine, operating under "field" conditions

• The typical maximum complete rotation is 20

hrs or so, but some (120-acre pivots) can go
around in only about 6 hrs

• Without a corner system or end gun, 79% of

the square area is irrigated
• For a 400 m lateral (without an end gun), the
irrigated area is 125.66 Fed.

• For design purposes, usually ignore soil

WHC (WaZ); but, refill root zone at each
irrigation (even if daily)

• Center pivots can operate on very undulating

topography

• Some center pivots can be moved from

field to field
Cairo Ismailia Desert Rd
Dina Farms Cairo Alex Desert Rd
Near Cairo Alex Desert Rd
Cairo Alex Desert Rd
Toshka Region
Toshka Region
Control of Large Farm
Electrical Center Pivot Operation
Electrical Center Pivot Operation

Last Tower Controlled

By Percent Timer
Electrical Center Pivot Operation

Next Tower Follows

When Micro-switch
Triggers
Electrical Center Pivot Operation

All Other Towers

Follow Similarly
Center Pivot 10 Conductor Span
Cable

Timer
Forward End Gun
Reverse
Safety Neutral

Ground
Power Power

Power
Hydraulics of Center Pivot
 Qcp=
Ii T

Qcp=
T
R= Lateral Length
Da= Irrigation depth applied per Irrigation
T = Rotation time (usually 18-22 hrs during peak
conditions)

Da = Id / Ii or = ETmax / Ea

Ea = irrigation Efficiency (80 -90 %)

 Qcp   R2

Qr  ( R2 -  r2)

r
Qr ( R2 -  r2) Qcp Qr zero
=
Qcp  R2

Qr
= 1- (r / R)2 R
Qcp
Center Pivot with Booms
Center Pivot with
Uniform Sprinkler
Spacing and
increasing
Sprinkler
discharge
 Center Pivot
with Uniform
Sprinkler size
and decreasing
Sprinkler
Spacing
 HfCP

HCp
Hr
HR = Ho

r
R
 HfCP = 8/15 ( hf similar supply Pipe)

In usual lateral for n =  F= 1/3 = 0.333

In Center Pivot F = 8/15 = 0.533

Why ?
Irrigation System Design (Some Basic Concepts)
Don’t Over - Complicate
Up Here
We Want To Get This
FIELD

WATER
Irrigation System Design (Some Basic Concepts)
2 Important Parameters

1)Flow (most commonly given in lpm)

Bucket–Fulls
Per Unit Time

2)Pressure or Head (given in m. of water)

Squirting
Distance
 FLOW
DETERMINATION

1) Crop / Soil Requirements

a) effective root zone
b) soil texture

2) Field Size

3) Water Source Limitations

a) physical
b) by permit
c) other
 Crop Requirements (lpm / Feddan)

Table 1. System Capacity in gallons per minute per acre

(gpm/acre) for different soil textures needed to supply
sufficient water for each crop in 9 out of 10 years.
An application efficiency of 80% and a 50% depletion of
available soil water were used for the calculations.
------------------------------------------------------------
Root Coarse Loam
Zone Sand Fine and
Depth and Loamy Sandy Sandy Silt
Crop (ft) Gravel Sand Sand Loam Loam Loam
------------------------------------------------------------
POTATOES* 2.0 8.2 7.5 7.0 6.4 6.1 5.7
DRY BEANS 2.0 7.9 7.1 6.4 6.1 5.7 5.4
SOYBEANS 2.0 7.9 7.1 6.4 6.1 5.7 5.4
CORN 3.0 7.3 6.6 5.9 5.5 5.3 4.9
SUGARBEETS 3.0 7.3 6.6 5.9 5.5 5.3 4.9
SMALL GRAINS 3.0 7.3 6.6 5.9 5.5 5.3 4.9
ALFALFA 4.0 6.8 5.9 5.6 5.1 5.0 4.5
------------------------------------------------------------
*Adjusted for 40% depletion of available water

General Rule = 6 gpm / feddan

 (Crop Requirement) x (Field Size) =
Flow Requirement

EXAMPLE
(6 gpm / feddan) x (125 Feddan) =
750 gpm

(Not Written in Stone but good guidelines

to follow)

May also be physical or permit demanded

constraints on pumping rate which dictate
 PRESSURE or HEAD
4 Main Considerations

1) To offset Elevation difference between

source and delivery point

2) To compensate for Friction losses in

the mainline delivery system

3) System Operational Requirements

4) Other Minor losses

 Elevation Difference
between water source and point of distribution
Vertical distance between pumping water surface
and the field delivery point
(for center pivots use the highest point in the irrigated
field for conservative calculations)

Example 15 m

Surface Water
Ground Water
 Friction Losses
Most friction losses in irrigation systems are developed in
the system mainline (transmission pipeline)
(Significant friction loss also occurs in the pivot itself but
Is usually calculated and included as part of the
operational pressure requirements)

Transmission Pipeline
Most often PVC but may also
be aluminum, steel or PE
 Friction Losses
Important factors in the calculation pipe friction loss are:

• Pipe Inside Diameter (id)

• Pipe Material
• Pipe Length
• Fluid Velocity or Flow Rate

Friction loss is typically calculated using one of several common

equations:
(Hazen Williams equation or Darcy equation)
 Friction Losses

Hazen Williams Equation

H = 10.65 Q1.852 L
C1.852 d4.87

Where:

• H = head loss from friction (m.)

• L = length of pipe (m.)
• Q = flow (m3/sec)
• C = friction factor (140 – 150 for PVC pipe
higher number means smoother pipe)
• d = inside diameter of pipe (m.)
 Friction Losses

Hazen Williams Equation

H = 10.44LQ1.85
C1.85d4.87

Example
If 47.25 LPS is flowing through 500 m of new 8 inch (20 cm) ID PVC pipe
the friction loss will be

3.75 m
 Operational Pressure
Requirements

At the Center Pivot Consist of:

1) Pressure necessary to operate sprinklers and regulators

satisfactorily (5 psi or greater above rated pressure of regulator)
2) Friction losses incurred in span pipe

Calculation is usually combined together with sprinkler package

spreadsheet

Requirements are commonly given at pivot point location

Elevation differences along pivot may also be included

Example pivot point requirement:

3.1 bar @ 47.25 l/sec
 Minor Losses
The majority of minor losses which will increase the overall
head requirement can be caused by:

1) Small friction losses which occur due to fittings and deviations

in pipeline alignment
2) Extra losses through pump and suction pipe
3) Friction loss incurred in well tubing
4) Other

In large pipeline networks minor losses can be a substantial

portion of the total head requirement

Typically in irrigation systems minor losses are not a large

part of the total head requirement – Often times it is good enough to
simply add 1.5 to 3 m to the final head calculation as an adjustment
for any minor losses which may occur in the system
 Example Pressure Totals

1) Elevation Head = 15 m.

2) Friction losses in the mainline

delivery system = 3.75 m

3) System Operational Requirements

= 3.1 bar or 31 m
4)Minor losses estimate = 3.25 m

Total Dynamic Head = 53 m

 PUMP SELECTION
70
Full Impellor
Total Dynamic Head (m)

10% Trim
85%
20% Trim
30% Trim 82%
53

79%

0 47.25 80

Flow (l/sec)
 POWER REQUIREMENTS

Horsepower Required
=HxQ
75 x 

Where  = (pump efficiency

good first guess is .75)

EXAMPLE
{(53 m. ) x (47.25 l/sec)} / {75 x .75} =
44.5 hp
Potential Run off Calculations
 AR AR Pattern at Downstream end
&
IR
mm/hr
Potential Run off

AR Pattern at Upstream end

Soil Intake Rate

Time
 Vr =  r Tor = Dw / Vr

 = 2/Tcp ToR = Dw / VR

= ToR < Tor

Vr 2 r /Tcp

VR = 2 R /Tcp 
VR 
r
VR > Vr
Vr R
 ARMax

ARavg = Da / Tor

ARavg

Tor
Area of half Ellipse = ½  a b
Area of half Ellipse = ½  Tor /2 ARMax
= Aravg Tor

ARMax = 4/ ARavg

I=atb +c By integration from t=0 to t=T

Di = A T B +cT

A = a/b+1

B = b+1
Dr = Da - Di
Dr : Potential runoff depth
Da : Irrigation depth per rotation
Di : Infiltrated depth