Application of automatic regulating structures in in order to improving main irrigation canal operational performance suffering from severe inflow fluctuations; Case study of Roodasht main irrigation canal

Application of optimum operational approaches would be effective due to existing poor operational performance of irrigation canals and its direct effect on decreasing agricultural water productivity. In this study¡ automation system is introduces to improve operational performance of Roodasht main irrigation canal suffering from drastic in fluctuations of water inflow. To this end¡ a centralized Model Predictive Controller (MPC) is designed to be applied for operation of mathematical model of the test case. Both of the mathematical models¡ including the existing operation of the canal and the MPC system¡ are tested by inflow fluctuation scenario. The results of the simulation are evaluated by the operational performance evolution indices. The results indicate that operational level is improved by applying automatic control system since the performance evaluation systems of IAE and MAE are respectively improved from 21.49% and 12.63% to 5.32 and 3.21%. Also¡ the results approves that automatic systems could be introduced as safe and reliable options for rehabilitation and modernization projects.