ESTIMATION OF SURFACE VOLUME IN HYDROLOGICAL MODELS FOR BORDER IRRIGATION

A procedure was developed to obtain better estimations of the surface volumes than in hydrological models and more rapid results than runnin g zero inertia models. Using a zero inertia model, a database was crea ted of the surface volume during advance in dimensionless form. Throug h an interpolation process it is possible to calculate the surface vol ume using the independent variables of the phenomenon. The empirical e stimates of the surface volume and the method presented in this work w ere compared with the results of the zero inertia model, and it was fo und that the empirical estimates have a validity that is restricted to particular conditions. The proposed procedure rapidly provides precis e values of this volume. The error in the estimate of the infiltrated volume that occurs in the inverse methods based on the hydrological mo del, due to the empirical estimates of the surface volume, was also ca lculated, and it was found that this error is great for short distance s and low values of the dimensionless parameters.