Abstract

The lateral pipes in traditional fixed-pipeline sprinkler irrigation systems are usually the terminal pipes and are configured in a single-pipe longitudinal arrangement without further branching. All of the sprinkler heads are evenly distributed along each branch. However, conventional systems have a high-density sprinkler lateral-pipe layout, which leads to increased costs for fixed pipeline sprinkler irrigation systems. To lower the density of the pipeline layout and decrease the associated cost, we proposed a new type of lateral-pipe layout. Half of the original branches in a conventional layout were alternately removed, but the positions of the sprinkler heads on the original branches remained unchanged. The new layout was compared with the conventional design according to the lateral-pipe layout density and the amount of pipe material that was required. The results indicate that the new layout reduced the density of the lateral pipes.

Key words: Irrigation, lateral pipe, layout, cost efficient.