Modelling Techniques for a System Engineering Approach of the Problems of Water Uses for Agricultural Purposes

Summary The problems of reclamation and irrigation plants are becoming more and more important for a better exploitation of agricultural resources and for the improvement of land use. Furthermore the irrigation problems are connected with those related to the best allocation of the hydraulic resources not only for agricultural purposes but also for power production, inland navigation and, more recently, also for the best exploitation of the touristic attractions of the land. For a system approach to these problems and for the use of digital computers in their solution, it is preliminarily necessary to develope mathematical models suitable to take into account, in a global way, the behaviour of these systems. On this line, the paper suggests some techniques to derive mathematical models for the study of the most important problems arising in design and control of hydraulic plants. A main characteristic of the models taken here into consideration is the adoption of a state variable approach and, in general, the use of those techniques that refer to system theory and that are suitable for the computer approach to problems of system engineering concerning the land use.