System Identification of Open Water Channels with Undershot and Overshot Gates

In this paper we consider system identification of irrigation channels. The results in this paper extend previous work in several important aspects. Both undershot and overshot gates are treated, and the overshot gates operate under both free and submerged flow. The models are estimated and validated on operational data from the Coleambally Main Channel in Australia, and the obtained system identification models are very accurate, being able to predict the real water level more than 12 hours ahead of time. Moreover, the system identification models are computationally inexpensive and ideally suited for control design. The results show that system identification and control have important parts to play in management of water resources. Copyright c 2005 IFAC