Floodwater Harvesting
Darshan J Mehta; Varun Yennam Kumar
Abstract
Water productivity may carry different meanings to different people, and may differ between but also within groups of water users. The term water productivity is used exclusively to denote the amount of the product over the volume of water diverted. This research paper presents one-dimensional hydrodynamic ...
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Water productivity may carry different meanings to different people, and may differ between but also within groups of water users. The term water productivity is used exclusively to denote the amount of the product over the volume of water diverted. This research paper presents one-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling of a steady flow analysis on the Purna river of the Navsari region, India. ArcGIS and HEC-RAS software were used to find out water level at different cross-section in 62 km stretch of river reach. Carto DEM of 1-arc second resolution was pre-processed in ArcGIS v10.5 to extract the cross-sections for hydraulic modeling. Hydrologic Engineering Centre’s- River Analysis System (HEC-RAS v5.0.7) software was used to carry out the analysis of hydraulic parameters for past flood data. Total 246 cross-sections were analyzed to check the carrying capacity of the 62 km stretch of the river for the peak flood discharge of the years 2004 and 2005. The results show that around 40% of the total cross-sections were not having the capacity to safely pass the flood discharge. So, construction of retaining walls, embankments, stone-pitching, and detention ponds were suggested to prevent the flood inundation of the surrounding region. The study presented in this paper would be helpful in the infrastructure planning for decision-makers to prevent the loss due to floods in low-lying areas.
Evaporation Reduction
Jamshid Piri; Anurag Malik; Ozgur Kisi
Abstract
The knowledge about soil evaporation is essential for improving water productivity (WP) in water-limited regions. Evaporation front (EF) depth and intensity (EI) are the most important components of agricultural activities and environmental issues, the physical characteristics of soil play a significant ...
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The knowledge about soil evaporation is essential for improving water productivity (WP) in water-limited regions. Evaporation front (EF) depth and intensity (EI) are the most important components of agricultural activities and environmental issues, the physical characteristics of soil play a significant role in these fields. One of the key elements in physical soil properties is the relationship between the depth of the static surface and evaporation from the soil surface, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. In these regions, due to over-irrigation, the water level is very close to the ground surface which leads to salinization of the soil. The same situation may also be observed on the banks of lakes and rivers. In the present study, the EF depth and the EI of three different types of soil textures including sandy loam, loam, and clay loam are simulated in 30 cm, 40 cm, 70 cm static levels by using Gardener model. The findings of the study reveal that after 77 days, the EF depths were 6.14, 7.85, and 13.86 cm for sandy loam soil, 5.23, 7.27, and 12.2 cm for loam soil, and 5.4, 7.2, and 10.9 cm for clay loam soil in three static levels (i.e. 30, 40, and 70 cm), respectively. The deeper the static level, the deeper the depth of EF. Simulation of EF depth for sandy loam soil regarding loam and clay loam soils have more correspondence with the measured depth of the evaporation front. The measured and simulated amounts of EF depth and EI in three soil textures with three water levels were stabilized and compared by the F-statistical test models. Comparing the evaluated data of EF with the simulated figures of the evaporation front in textures and diverse static levels using the statistical test showed that a one to one line at a significant level of 5% is suitable for sandy loam soil.
Hydroinformatic
Amir Parnian; James Nicholas Furze; Amin Parnian
Abstract
Oil and gas drilling produce saline brine, posing a threat and great risk to the environment. Desalination is a pathway to freshwater production and brine removal, however, the energy required for processing and highly concentrated brines curtail the approach. Solar desalination humidification dehumidification ...
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Oil and gas drilling produce saline brine, posing a threat and great risk to the environment. Desalination is a pathway to freshwater production and brine removal, however, the energy required for processing and highly concentrated brines curtail the approach. Solar desalination humidification dehumidification (SDHDH) systems are a low energy and economical response that solves the problems. The current study aims to demonstrate saltwater solar-desalination, an innovative SDHDH design, used to process the waste materials. The method was successfully tested at full scale as follows: In a 400 m2 application containing 600 m3 saline-water, the total dissolved solids (TDS) were equal to 141 g l-1, requiring an input of 196.2 kW electrical energy. As a result of SDHDH 266 m3 of freshwater was obtained, with TDS equal to 210 mg l-1. The water-recovery percentage achieved was 44%. The salt removal efficiency was near 100%. Surface-time efficiency varied, between 8 to 30 l m-2day-1. SDHDH use is an effective mechanism to elute freshwater from concentrated brines, maximizing productivity, and lowering hazardous impact to the environment providing benefits to ecosystem and human services alike.
Water Security
Neil A Coles; David Stanton; Chun Woo Baek
Abstract
In this paper, the evolution of runoff enhancement treatments on both natural and artificial (or roaded) catchments used for rainfall harvesting to supply small on-farm dams in south-western Australia is reviewed. Over the last seven decades, various experimental treatments and approaches to enhance ...
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In this paper, the evolution of runoff enhancement treatments on both natural and artificial (or roaded) catchments used for rainfall harvesting to supply small on-farm dams in south-western Australia is reviewed. Over the last seven decades, various experimental treatments and approaches to enhance water shedding or harvesting techniques have been tested and adapted across this region to account for variations in slope, soil type and rainfall distribution. These adaptations are vital to maintain water harvesting efficiency and water security in a drying climate and enable farmers to continue to produce crops and support livestock effectively while increasing their climate resilience. As such, water security is one of the most important components of any agricultural enterprise. The treatments or sealants evaluated, varied in their capacity, cost, durability or water shedding capability, to provide a robust response to changes experienced in rainfall patterns, their intensity and frequency due to climate change. This review has highlighted the potential to use various surface treatments to increase the water harvesting efficiency from different landscapes in semi-arid or dryland agricultural areas in southwestern Australia.
Unconventional Water
Mohammed Abu-Dayeh Matouq; Abhishek Tiwary; Aiman Alawin; Jamal Othman; Naser Kloub
Abstract
This work compares the performance of a solar still during winter and summer months for purification of salty water, suiting arid conditions to produce distilled water. To ensure zero energy cost, the apparatus is completely run on ambient solar energy pipes for water circulation and heating, without ...
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This work compares the performance of a solar still during winter and summer months for purification of salty water, suiting arid conditions to produce distilled water. To ensure zero energy cost, the apparatus is completely run on ambient solar energy pipes for water circulation and heating, without any pumping requirement. The performance of the unit is evaluated over daylight hours under standard operating conditions during summer where sunshine is almost at its peak. However, the design of the solar still is modified to enhance the heating rate inside the solar basin during winter months with low ambient temperature through the attachment of a solar pipe warm water circulation into the water basin, which was fed by solar panel system water heating units. The water circulation from the basin to the solar collectors is solely due to the temperature difference and no pumping is required to increase the flow of water. The modified arrangement was found to achieve a temperature inside the water basin of over 50°C on a typical winter day when the ambient temperature was as low as 9°C. This resulted in the maximum amount of produced condensate yield reaching up to 2 l/hr, which was found to exceed the typical yield of 1.5 l/hr under summer conditions.
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