Canal Irrigation (general)

Artificial structure constructed to carry/convey water

from a river or tank for various purposes including:
Irrigation
Navigation
Power generation
 Irrigation Canals (classification)
Based
 on the nature of source of supply
Permanent (permanent refers to the source of supply
Perennial)
Non perennial
Inundation, they supply water only when the flood level in the river rises
Based on the function of the canal

Feeder constructed to feed another canal
Carrier besides being direct irrigation canal it may feed another canal
Based on relative importance

Main
Secondary
Tertiary
Field channels
Based on alignment

Ridge canal
Contour canal
Side slope canal
Classification continued
Based on financial out put
Productive
Protective
Based on soil type through which they are constructed
Alluvial
Non Alluvial
Based on the lining material
Lined
Unlined
Canal Alignment
They should be aligned in the such a way that the
maximum area is irrigated (with least length of
channel)
The main channel must take water to the highest point
of the irrigation area (watershed)
If need arises a canal can be taken as contour canal
As much as possible curves could be avoided
In alignment exercise a good balance of cut/fill has to
be exercised
Design of unlined alluvial canals
by silt theories and sediment transport
The following data are important for Design
Discharge Q for which the channel is to be designed
Surface property
Soil property such as silt factor

Design consists of determining

Area of the cross-section
Hydraulic mean radius
Mean velocity of flow
Bed slope
Design continued
Two basic equations necessary here
Q=AxV
V= ? Flow equation Manning or the like
1. Providing channel of best discharging section
2. Adoption of equation which gives non silting and
non scouring velocity
3. Adoption of bed slope for a channel depending the
available slope
4. Choosing suitable B/D ratio on the basis of
experience
 Design continued
Vo  0.55 D 0.64
Vo = critical velocity (m/s)
D= depth of flow in meters (Kennedy 1895)
V  0.55mD 0.64

m is a factor which is accounting the silt grade and

designated as critical velocity ratio. M= 0.8 to 1.2
v
m  CVR
v0
Design continued

For determining mean velocity of flow Kennedy used Kutter’s equation

1 0.00155
23  
V  N S RS
 0.00155  N
1   23  
 S  R

Where v is mean velocity (m/s), R hydraulic radius (m), s is bed slope and
N is rugosity coefficient which is not much different than that of Manning
ranging between 0.025 to 0.03 for channel conditions very good to poor.
There are recommendations based on discharge:
Q(cumec) 14 to 140 (0.025), 140 to 280 (0.0225) and 280 and above (0.02).
Design continued
By knowing Q, S, N and m a channel can be designed by
using three equations viz
continuity equation, Kennedy’s V D relationship and
Kutter’s equation.
Silt transporting capacity of a channel
according to Kennedy’s theory
Total quantity of transported silt depends
directly on the bed width B of the channel and on some
power of the critical velocity.
Qt=Qp where p is percent of silt in water.
A number of draw backs are identified in Kennedy’s
equation including neglecting B/D ratio.
Design continued
Lindley recommends to use

B  7.86 D1.61
Where B is bed width and D is channel depth
Lacey’s theory
According to him bed width and bed slope of a channel
constructed on alluvial soils (erodible) are uniquely
determined by nature and introduced a regime concept.
Regime channel may be defined as a stable channel whose
width, depth and bed slope have undergone modification
by silting and scouring and so are adjusted that they have
attained equilibrium.
Conditions of regime conditions are:
The channel should be flowing uniformly
Silt grade and silt charge are constant
Discharge should be constant
 Procedure channel design based on Lacey
1. Calculate the factor f from equation: m is the
mean size of the particle (d50)
f  1.76 m

2. Calculate the velocity

1/ 6
 Qf 2 
V  
 140 

3. Calculate the area: A=Q/V.

4. Calculate the perimeter: P
P  4.75 Q
 Procedure channel design based on Lacey
continued

5. Knowing A and P and assuming the slope of the channel

say 0.5 (h) to 1(v) and from both equations:
and
B and D could be determined.
D2
A  BD  P  B  5D
2

6. Hydraulic Radius R=A/P and

7. Hydraulic mean radius both basically5
must
v 2be equal and
serves as a check. R 
2 f
Procedure channel design based on Lacey
continued
8. Slope S can be calculated from equation

f 3
S 1

3340Q 6

It is evidently clear that Lacey’s procedure does not

require a trial and error configuration.
Example
Design an Irrigation channel to carry a discharge of
5cumes.
Assume N=0.0225 and m=1. The channel has a bed
slope of
0.2m/km
Solution
v  0.55mD 0.64  0.55 x1.0 x(1.0 0.64 )  0.55m / s
1. 1.Assume
Area 
Q a5
 trial  9depth
.09m 2 of say 1.0 m
V 0.55
2. 2 1/2
Abd  Zd ; P  b  2 d (1  Z) but assumed is 0.5H to 1V
3. D 2
A  BD  ,
2
(1.0) 2
9.09  B  1.0  ,
4. B  8.59m
2
 Perimeter ( p )  B  D 5  8.59  1.0( 5 )  10.83m
5.
A 9.09
R   0.84
P 10.83
6. .
1 0.00155
23   x1000
C  0.0225 0.2  42.85.
 0.00155  0.0225
1   23  x1000 
 0.2  0.84
0.84 x 0.2 m
V  42.85 x  0.555 .
.
1000 sec
V 0.555
  1.009  1.0
V 0.55