(248e) Optimal Design of Agricultural Water Networks

Optimal Design of Agricultural Water Networks

Eusiel Rubio-Castro¹, Maritza E. Cervantes-Gaxiola¹, Oscar M. Hernández-Calderón¹, José Francisco Hernández-Martínez¹, José Antonio Meza-Contreras¹,José María Ponce-Ortega²

¹Chemical and Biological Sciences Department, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Culiacán, Sinaloa 80000, Mexico

²Chemical Engineering Department, Universidad Michocana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo, Morelia, Michoacán, México, 58060

Abstract

This work proposes a mathematical programming model for the optimal design of water networks in the agriculture. The proposed model is based on a new superstructure that includes all configurations in terms of use, reuse and regeneration of water in a field constituted by a number of croplands. The model also includes the allocation of pipelines, pumps and storage tanks in different irrigation periods. The objective function consists in maximizing the annual profit that is formed by the economic income owing to the crop sell minus the costs for fresh water, fertilizer, storage tanks, treatment units, piping and pumping. The proposed multi-period optimization problem is formulated as a mixed integer non-linear programming formulation, which was applied to a case study to demonstrate the economic, environmental and social benefits that can be obtained. Two scenarios were considered, first the case when there is unlimited freshwater for the irrigation of crops and then the case when there is scarcity of freshwater. Here, for the first case the results show that the best water network includes only direct mass integration. While, in the second case the optimal water network considers both direct as well as indirect mass integration, it is because the fresh water scarcity demands the installation of storage tanks. In addition, the water networks allow meeting with the minimum production demand, which represents a positive social impact with respect to the feeding.