32
Tecnología y Ciencias del Agua
, vol. VIII, núm. 2, marzo-abril de 2017, pp. 31-41
Li
et al
.,
Particle size distribution and settling velocity of sediments in water diverted from the Yellow River during border-strip irrigation
•
ISSN 2007-2422
Introduction
The Yellow River, often referred to as China’s
mother river, plays an important role in indus-
trial and agricultural development throughout
its drainage basin. The river water has been di-
verted for irrigation for over 2000 years. Since
the river has high sediment loads, the issue
of sediment control necessarily arises when-
ever Yellow River water diversion (YRWD)
is discussed (Jiang
et al
., 2015). Most existing
research on sediment carried by Yellow River
water focuses on river regulation works (Hu,
Cao, Guo, & Chen, 2008), providing in-depth
analyses of movement patterns of sediments,
probability of incipient motion of sediments,
and the flow velocity for incipient motion
(Zhang, 2012; Fan, Zhong, & Wu, 2012; Li,
Jiang, Zheng, & Zhang, 2012). A primary pur-
pose of YRWD is to provide farm irrigation
water, thereby ensuring sustainable agricul-
tural development in the Yellow River basin
(Duan, 1997). Given that sediment-laden water
from the Yellow River is directly channeled to
fields, many studies have provided insight into
how to dredge channels and utilize sediments
(Zhou & Wang, 2010; Wang, Hu and Zhou,
2010; Wang, Li, & Wang, 1997). However, little
research has been done on the diverted river
water applied to fields.
Diversion of Yellow River water for irriga-
tion is an important component of YRWD. All
provinces lying along the Yellow River have
large areas irrigated by river water, including
the Hetao, Shizuishan, Zuncun, and Weishan
irrigation areas that are famous across the
country. Despite that fact that they have brought
remarkable agricultural benefits, these irrigation
projects are beset by problems arising from the
sediment in the river water. For example, some
water-saving irrigation techniques such as
sprinkler irrigation, micro-sprinkler irrigation,
and drip irrigation require relatively high water
quality because the irrigation devices are prone
to blockage. In fact, sprinkler irrigation typically
requires the sediment concentration in irriga-
tion water to be lower than 0.2 kg/m
3
, and the
criteria for drip and micro-sprinkler irrigation
are even stricter. These problems require more
work for the application of water-saving irriga-
tion techniques in areas irrigated by the Yellow
River (Shi, Zhang, Huang, & Zhao, 2000). In
addition, previous research into the movement
patterns of river sediment in irrigation water
concentrated on the infiltration of muddy water;
the findings suggested that higher sediment
concentrations and smaller particle sizes lead
to lower infiltration rates (Bie, Cao, & Chang,
2015). A study conducted by Fei Liangjun
et al.
(Fei & Wang, 1998) at the end of the 20th century
Received: 20/04/2016
Approved: 11/10/2016
that it is feasible to simplify the water flow over the field
to open-channel flow when calculating settling velocity.
However, the formula for calculating settling velocity needs
further modification to take into account the influences of
flume rate and the scouring action of irrigation water on
the surface sediment deposited on the strips.
Keywords
: Water diverted from the Yellow River, border-
strip irrigation, sediment, particle size distribution, settling
velocity.
al calcular la velocidad de sedimentación. Sin embargo, la
fórmula para calcular la velocidad de sedimentación necesita una
modificación adicional, al tener en cuenta las influencias de la
tasa de flujo y la acción erosiva del agua de riego en el sedimento
superficial depositado en las melgas.
Palabras clave
: agua desviada del río Amarillo, riego por
amelgas, sedimento, distribución de tamaño de partículas,
velocidad de sedimentación.
