The first implementation of Rubicon’s TCC® Network Control autonomous channel control system that uses Model Predictive Control (MPC) is under way in Australia. The MPC control technique is an enhancement to Network Control and improves canal water level control in longer canal reaches with large system delays.
Field testing is currently underway on nine pools along 12.5km of Coleambally Irrigation’s Yamma Channel in New South Wales, Australia. Although the trial has only been going for a few weeks, results are positive.
MPC enhances the ability of Network Control to respond optimally to changes in demand for water while maintaining extremely stable canal levels. In long stretches of channels where the transit time of water is relatively slow, reactive control strategies can be insufficient to avoid water level fluctuations. MPC pre-empts future demand for water and releases additional water into a pool in advance of water being withdrawn by irrigators.
