Simplified Method for Sizing Laterals with Two or More Diameters

Abstract

The economic design of microirrigation and sprinkler laterals requires the use of a combination of diameters of different lengths. The present practice is to solve the basic hydraulic equations using a trial-and-error method for a given allowable head loss. This requires an iterative process that consumes time and limits the accuracy of the solution. Herein is presented a direct analytical approach that gives an exact solution. The method is compared with the trial-and-error approach and found to give the same result.