Hierarchical operation of water level controllers: Formal analysis and application on a large scale irrigation canal

Reference:
A. Sadowska, P.-J. van Overloop, C. Burt, and B. De Schutter, "Hierarchical operation of water level controllers: Formal analysis and application on a large scale irrigation canal," Water Resources Management, vol. 28, no. 14, pp. 4999-5019, Nov. 2014.

Abstract:
We introduce a hierarchical controller, the purpose of which is to speed up the water delivery process as compared to the standard method applied currently in the field. The lower layer of the hierarchical control consists of local proportional integral filter controllers (PIF controllers) for upstream control at each gate; specifically they are proportional integral controllers with a low-pass filter. In contrast, the higher layer is composed of a centralized model-based predictive controller, which acts by controlling the head gate and by coordinating the local PIF controllers by modifying their setpoints when needed. The centralized controller is event-driven and is invoked only when there is a need for it (a water delivery request) and as such it contributes scarcely to the communication burden. The scheme is robust to temporary communication losses as the local PIF controllers are fully able to control the canal in their normal independent automatic upstream control mode until the communication links are restored. We discuss the application of the hierarchical controller to a precise numerical model of the Central California Irrigation District Main Canal. This shows the improved performance of the new hierarchical controller over the standard control method.