Currently ITRC uses CanalCAD which utilizes the simulation technology based on algorithms developed by Chunge, Preissmann, Holly, Chevereau, and others at SOGREAH of France. CanalCAD has a user interface that was developed through a combined effort of ITRC, Imperial Irrigation District.
CanalCAD has been upgraded at UTRC expense so that we can select any location within a pool as the target control location. This means that in our control algorithm subroutine, we can extract water levels or flow rates from any designated point. In the past we were limited to 5 specific locations within any pool.
Key ingredients for acceptable model as following:
• Hydraulic correctness of unsteady and steady flow conditions
• One second simulation time steps
• Capability to simulate at least 20 pools in series
• Capability to solve for initial steady state condition automatically, including all water surfaces, gate positions, and flow rates
• Ability to program the simulator with control algorithm as a subroutine
• Ability to model structure combinations at a wide range of any single location
• Quick computational speed
For comparison of simulated versus actual hydraulics, it is difficult to obtain good data because the uncertainties of actual canal dimensions and roughnesses, flow rates and water levels. It has revised the commissioning procedures for new installations ago that it can obtain better checks on actual vs simulated values. No utilize specific step by step procedure for testing PLC control at each structure. The testing algorithm’s ability must commission each structure to maintain a steady state condition, and then processing into small flow rate changes, and then to larger flow rate changes. It needs to monitor the actual water levels and the control response of the PLC and then duplicate the control response in CanalCAD. We need to this to confirm that there has been no programming error in the PLC.