Energy and Hydraulic Performance-Based Management of Large-Scale Pressurized Irrigation Systems

Improving energy and hydraulic performance of large-scale pressurized irrigation is
now perceived as a very pressing need, after large budgets have been allocated into systems
modernization. This paper tackles this priority area by developing a management oriented
multi-step methodology, that integrates different existing models, to sector the system accord
ing to the pressure requirements of the hydrants, and to regulate the pumping station for i) a
fixed and a variable pressure head control, and for ii) an enhanced performance. When applied
to an on-demand system in the Sinistra Ofanto irrigation scheme of Foggia (Italy), this
integrated approach showed potential for energy saving under the optimal scenario of 49 %,
and noticeable improvement in the system performance in terms of hydrant pressure heads, as
compared to the actual conditions. The monetary assessment demonstrates that the achieved
energy saving amounts to 23,636 Euros per irrigation season, 45 % among which are due to
sectoring