Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

Modernizing Aging Pipe Infrastructure In Irrigation Districts, Charles M. Burt, Kyle Feist, Zachary Markow

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Many irrigation and water districts in California convey water through aging concrete pipelines. In addition to huge problems with leaks and failures, districts also struggle to provide turnout deliveries with more flexible schedules. This paper discusses the problems that are encountered, and various approaches that have been or can be used. The specific pipeline designs that are discussed in this paper are generally gravity flow, flowing downhill from a canal. Most of these pipelines were originally installed under the assumptions that farmers would need high flows at low pressures for surface irrigation.

Case Study: Modernization Of The Walker River Irrigation District, Stuart Styles, Robert C. Bryan, Sierra Layous

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) and Walker River Irrigation District (WRID) collaborated on the modernization of WRID with support from the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Interior in Carson City, Nevada. This paper presents an update to the USCID case study that was presented in 2014 on the initial proposed plan for improving water gauges throughout WRID. There has been phased implementation of the initial proposed plan as well as modification and expansion of that plan. The initial scope of work for system improvements was developed by ITRC in 2009 following field investigations and engineering analyses of …

Kettle Cooling And Sustainability Project, Nico Degiorgio

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

A particular frozen food processing facility uses a once-through cooling process to bring their kettle-cooked product’s temperature down from nearly boiling temperatures to the eighty degree Fahrenheit range. This process is water intensive and facility managers are seeking to reduce their potable water consumption. Sales engineers from Air Treatment Corporation, an HVAC&R manufacturers’ rep, initiated a number of meetings to propose heat rejection solutions and illustrate their associated payback potentials.

This report contains methods of analyzing a food production process, the technical sales process, thermodynamic principles, refrigeration technologies, and the application of technical knowledge to provide a long-term, system solution. …

Improving Flow Measurement Accuracy Using A Portable Irrigation Turnout Calibration Unit, Stuart Styles, Kyle Feist, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Relatively accurate flow measurement at irrigation district water delivery points is an important component of volumetric billing and equitable service. In California, this has often occurred with conversions to pressurized irrigation systems which commonly include the installation of pipeline flow meters as part of the on-farm system. However, a large portion of irrigation turnouts in the western US continue to operate via gravity and fall into one of the following categories: (a) a metergate, or similar structure was installed without adherence to standard construction requirements or (b) the structure was never intended for flow measurement.

For these and other scenarios, …

Using Electricity Consumption To Estimate Water Volumes Pumped From Wells, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of California has led some organizations to want access to documentation of the volumes of groundwater pumped by individual wells. Many well pumps already have flow meters installed that provide an accurate measurement of both instantaneous flow rate and the cumulative volume pumped. For wells that do not have flow meters, it has been proposed for many years that pumped volumes can be accurately estimated by simply using the total power consumption, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Influence Of Supply-Channel Velocity On Farm Delivery Meter Gate Flow Measurement, Daniel J. Howes, Charles M. Burt, John M. Thorburn

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The work presented here is an extension of previous papers that updated the calibration of round (Armco-type) meter gates (three sizes: 0.30, 0.46, and 0.61 m), developed ratings for rectangular gates (two sizes: 0.46 and 0.61 m) on round pipes, and examined errors and uncertainty related to using these devices for water discharge measurement. Previous works examined gate discharge ratings under low supply-channel flow velocity perpendicular to the gate discharge pipeline. Here, additional testing was conducted to test the hypothesis that higher velocities in the supply channel would show decreased meter gate flow compared to the low-velocity ratings, but that …

Managing Drip Filter Backflush Water, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The paper discusses the principles of backflushing different types of filters, as well as pressure and flow requirements for proper backflushing of various filters. Additionally, it discusses options for what to do with the backflush water. A prototype ITRC design for cleaning and recycling backflush water is presented.

The Design And Construction Of A Rear Bumper With Incorporated Spare Tire Rack, Alan C. Isaacson

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project outlines the design and construction of a rear bumper with incorporated spare tire and equipment rack for a 1946 Willys CJ2A Jeep. The spare tire rack is capable of swinging out away from the vehicle to allow for the use of the vehicle’s tailgate. The bumper was designed for strength, functionality and aesthetic qualities alike. Additionally, the bumper design considered all vehicle codes and regulations.

Testing Feasibility Of Inductive Power Coupling For Modern Applications, Andrew Burman

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project takes two bifilar tesla coils and uses them to find a % efficiency of power transfer as distances between the coils decrease. The reason this experiment is being conducted is to find possible implications for wireless charging of vehicles using similar style coils. This project conducted experiments on 60 Hz, 400 Hz, and 1 kHz frequencies for a small input signal. The general conclusion is that as the frequency increases more power can be transferred and higher efficiency of power transfer is seen. This project also concluded that it could be possible to get higher efficiency at a …

Design Of A Drip Irrigation System For 80 Acres Of Almonds In Arbuckle, California, Alexander E. Marsh

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the detailed steps and calculations involved with the design of a dual line buried drip irrigation system. The system is specifically for an 80 acre orchard of almonds in Arbuckle, California. The new design distribution uniformity of the design in 0.92.

Design And Testing Of An Autonomous Ground Robot For Agricultural Applications, Lukas L. Hannemann

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design and testing of an autonomous ground robot for agricultural applications such as strawberries. The vehicle will feature a robotic arm that will be programmed to perform various tasks, such as collecting soil and leaf samples of the crop or measuring soil moisture and salinity. Various components were chosen to be implemented on the vehicle due its power requirements and operating environment. Finite Element Analysis testing was done on the frame of the vehicle to ensure the adequacy of the design.

Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of A Gas Forge, Spencer M. Davis

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This report covers the design, construction, and evaluation of a propane forge. The purpose for building this propane forge was to replace an old charcoal forge in order to improve upon certain points of performance such as adjustability of heat, portability, and fuel cost by being able to run the forge for any amount of time with an easy on/off control. The design of this forge consisted of a steel pipe body insulated with ceramic fiber blanket, and was heated by a single atmospheric burner.

Crop Selection, Cost Analysis, And Irrigation System Design For The Replanting Of A Nut Orchard, Maximilian Bricker

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This report was made to help the landowner of Bricker Farms make decisions regarding the replanting of his orchard. The decisions that need to be made in this process include: which crop to plant, how to plant it, and how to improve the distribution uniformity of irrigation water on the orchard. The report does not give definitive final decisions, but presents viable options that the landowner can utilize when deciding. In addition to the options that are presented, the report offers suggestions to the landowner so that the replanting process is done properly in a timely and economically-friendly manner.

Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of An Almond End-Row Nut Sweeper, Andrew J. Mancini

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design, construction, and evaluation of an almond end-row nut sweeper. The sweeper attached to the three-point hitch of a John Deere orchard tractor using a Category 2 hitch and was used to sweep nuts back into the orchard after they had been swept into windrows. This system worked by utilizing the tractor hydraulics to power an 18 inch diameter cylinder brush.

Proper field testing of the implement could not be done during the academic year in which this project was constructed since this implement was designed to be used as part of the California almond …

Design Of A Folding V-Scraper With Roller For Orchard Applications, Chase Ulrich

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design of a folding 15 ft. wide leveler for orchard use. This design utilized a category 2 three-point hitch to connect the implement to a tractor. The folding mechanism uses the tractors hydraulic system to actuate the folding movement using hydraulic cylinders. The blades, when wings in operational position, are rigid with one another after some assembly. When the implement is folded the width is reduced to nine feet.

Design, Construction, And Evaluation Of Off-Road Rock Sliders, Jake M. Freedman

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project describes the design, fabrication, and evaluation of off-road rock sliders which can be used with Toyota Tacoma trucks of model year 2005-2012. Rock sliders are a form of trail armor and are a common aftermarket addition to trucks that are often used in off-road conditions. Rock sliders, in their simplest form, consist of a steel beam (either tubular or rectangular) that runs underneath the doors of the vehicle providing protection to the undercarriage, rocker panels, and doors as well as reducing the likelihood of becoming stuck or “high-centered” on the underside of the vehicle. The sliders will …

Design And Build Of An Automated Animal Feed Dispenser, Soroush Sedigh

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project discusses the design, construction, and evaluation of automated animal feed dispenser on a small-scale level. The system consists of three main components with various sub-components. Those three components are the outer-casing, the hardware and circuitry, and lastly the code to make sure the hardware operates properly.

System tests have indicated that the feed dispenser is able to provide one week’s worth of feed to the end user with no human interference

Reconstructing The Natural Hydrology Of The San Francisco Bay - Delta Watershed, P. Fox, P.H. Hutton, D.J. Howes, A.J. Draper, L. Sears

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

We evaluated the impact of landscape changes on the amount of delta outflow reaching San Francisco Bay. The natural landscape was reconstructed and water balances were used to estimate the long-term annual average delta outflow that would have occurred under natural landscape conditions if the climate from 1922 to 2009 were to repeat itself. These outflows are referred to as natural delta outflows and are the first published estimate of natural delta outflow. These natural delta outflows were then compared with current delta outflows for the same climate and existing landscape, including its re-engineered system of reservoirs, canals, aqueducts, and …

Rating Rectangular Farm Delivery Meter Gates For Flow Measurement, Daniel J. Howes, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Traditional meter gates for farm delivery flow measurement from an open channel conveyance have traditionally incorporated round canal gates (Armco type) for control. In recent years, some irrigation water agencies (i.e., irrigation districts) have replaced deteriorating round gates with lower-cost rectangular gates that cover round holes. Similar to the situation described in a companion paper, where round gates were examined, there have been no investigations into flow measurement uncertainty using the existing rating tables for these gates. In this study, two commonly used rectangular gate sizes, 0.46 m (18-in.) and 0.61 m (24-in.), were tested under scenarios of various gate …

Accuracy Of Round Meter Gates For On-Farm Deliveries, Daniel J. Howes, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Recent California legislation requires irrigation water agencies larger than 25,000 acres to measure volumetric water deliveries within specified levels of relative uncertainty. Although the meter gate is one of the most widely used flow measurement devices in California, little investigation has been conducted into the accuracy, limitations, and uncertainties of the rating tables developed over 60 years ago. A meter gate testing facility was constructed at the Cal Poly Irrigation Training and Research Center’s Water Resources Facility capable of testing gates up to 0.76 m (30 in.). The facility was constructed with gates oriented perpendicular to the supply channel flow …

Improving Flow Measurement Accuracy At Farm Delivery Gates In California, Charles M. Burt, Daniel J. Howes

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

ITRC, through a CSU ARI grant, constructed a meter gate testing facility and tested five gates of various sizes and designs. The gate testing was conducted by varying the multiple parameters including upstream and downstream head, supply channel velocity, gate opening, and head above the gate. Data was also collected at various locations on the downstream side of the gate. In total, ITRC staff collected over 10,000 points of data during this evaluation. Using the new rating tables for the three gates examined, the relative uncertainty is less than ±5 to ±7% at the 95% confidence level with the new …

Drip Hydraulics Program, Garret Blocher

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This senior project report lays out the production of drip hydraulics software composed in Microsoft Excel and backed by coding in Visual Basic for Applications. The program performs 2 main functions useful in the design of irrigation systems. The first is based on performing single hose computations under three different circumstances. It can solve for the average emitter flow rate given the hose inlet pressure, the inlet pressure given the average emitter flow rate, and can model hose pressures and flow rates while flushing. The second function is to place a manifold in the hydraulically optimum location on a slope. …

Installation, Evaluation, And Modification Of Adcon Telemetry Systems, Caitlin Held

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Evapotranspiration From Natural Vegetation In The Central Valley Of California: Monthly Grass Reference-Based Vegetation Coefficients And The Dual Crop Coefficient Approach, Daniel J. Howes, Phyllis Fox, Paul H. Hutton

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Restoration activities in the Central Valley of California and elsewhere require accurate evapotranspiration information, which can then be used for a wide variety of surface and subsurface hydrologic evaluations. However, directly measuring evapotranspiration can be difficult or impossible depending on the evaluation’s time frame. Transferability of measured evapotranspiration in time and space is also necessary but typically requires a weather-based reference. For nonagricultural vegetation, there is at present time no standard reference, which makes the evaluation of a variety of vegetation types from different sources difficult and time-consuming. This paper examines several methods used to estimate evapotranspiration from native vegetation, …

Practical Guide For Metergates, Charles M. Burt, Daniel J. Howes

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This document contains brief instructions on the use of special round canal gates called “metergates” for flow measurement.

Center Pivot Sprinkler Distribution Uniformity Impacts On The Spatial Variability Of Evapotranspiration, Daniel Howes, Sean Ellenson, Lucas Hoffmann, Franklin Gaudi

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Understanding variable evapotranspiration (ET) throughout a field can help maximize yield on a per-acre basis, as well as assist with proper irrigation scheduling. The results from this study indicate that irrigation system distribution uniformity (DU) has a significant effect on the uniformity of ET during water-stressed periods. The study site involved intensely managed forage (alfalfa and winter grain hay) irrigated by center pivots being supplied with reclaimed water near Palmdale, California. During spring and early summer 2007 the center pivots were operating under deficit irrigation. In 2010, after the installation of reservoirs, water was applied to meet full evapotranspiration (ETc) …

Modernization Of The Walker River Irrigation District Water Gauges, Stuart Styles, Robert C. Bryan, Kenneth C. Spooner

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Irrigation Training and Research Center (ITRC) and Walker River Irrigation District (WRID) collaborated on WRID’s Water Gauge Improvement Project with support from the Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Department of Interior in Carson City, Nevada. This paper presents a summary of the proposed plan and implementation for improving water gauges in WRID with strategic engineering recommendations for new hardware and control equipment; water management strategies; flow measurement devices; and integration of a new district-wide SCADA system. Field investigations and engineering analyses were carried out by the ITRC in 2009 to inspect existing WRID infrastructure, to review current operational procedures, and …

Comparison And Cost Analysis Of Growing Hops In A Greenhouse Versus An Outside Environment, Preston Way

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analysis For Updating An Irrigation Pumping Station With Variable Frequency Drives, Kirk Teixeira

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of San Luis Obispo Historic Precipitation Data And Calibration Of The Cal Poly Weather Station, Hilary Olsen

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

No abstract provided.