Performance of Historic Downstream Canal Control Algorithms on ASCE Test Canal 1

Researchers have developed several algorithms to automatically control water levels in irrigation canals. Proportional-integral (PI) control logic has been used for downstream water-level control, but its performance has not always been satisfactory. Heuristic downstream water-level controllers (e.g., canal automation for rapid demand deliveries, or CARDD) have also been proposed but not rigorously tested. The ASCE Task Committee on Canal Automation Algorithms developed a series of test cases to evaluate the performance of canal control algorithms. In this paper, simulation tests were performed on the ASCE Test Canal 1 using three downstream control algorithms: (1) The standard PI control logic; (2) The PI control logic with hydraulic decouplers; and (3) The heuristic CARDD control logic. These controllers were tuned manually using trial-and-error techniques. Performance of the PI control logic improved with the addition of hydraulic decouplers. CARDD did not perform as well as the PI controllers under the conditions imposed on ASCE Test Canal 1. Robustness of these controllers depends on the aggressiveness of the controller as well as the initial flow rate.