Outlet Management System for pressurised irrigation networks
The Nebulotix OMS places a controlled, metered outlet cabinet at every chak of a piped irrigation scheme and runs rotational shifts by volume, so each farmer group receives its design share and every cubic metre is on record.
What an OMS does in a piped irrigation scheme
Large pressurised irrigation projects replace open canals with buried pipe networks fed from one or more pumping stations. The pipework fixes conveyance losses, but equity depends on discipline at the outlet: if valves are opened by hand, upstream chaks draw more than their share, pressure collapses at the tail, and nobody can prove who received what.
An Outlet Management System automates that last control point. Each chak gets a cabinet with control valves, a water meter and pressure transmitters, driven by a solar RTU that opens and closes outlets to a schedule and closes them when the allotted volume is delivered. Schedules are planned centrally, pushed to the field, and executed locally even if communication drops.
Because the outlet hydraulics and the automation are designed together, residual head at each outlet, manifold sizing, valve selection and surge protection are checked against the network model before cabinets are fixed.
What is supplied
Outlet cabinet
4 to 12 hydraulically or electrically actuated valves on a common manifold, with Woltman or electromagnetic meter, upstream and downstream pressure transmitters, strainer and air valve, in a lockable IP65 enclosure.
OMS RTU
Solar-powered controller with Li-ion storage. Runs volume or time-based schedules, logs flow and pressure, detects bursts and tampering, and stores data through communication outages.
Gateway
Collects RTUs over long-range LoRa and backhauls to the cloud over 4G, fibre or VSAT. Cellular RTUs connect directly where coverage is reliable.
Nebulotix Control Centre
GIS map of zones, chaks and outlets; seasonal and shift planner; alarms; volume delivered per outlet, chak and farmer; integration with pump station SCADA.
Farmer and WUA access
Water user associations see their shift, delivered volume and complaint status. Farmers get SMS alerts before and after each turn.
| Item | Typical configuration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Outlets per cabinet | 4 – 12 | Sized to chak layout and hydrant count |
| Control valves | DN 50 – DN 150 | Hydraulic diaphragm with latching solenoid, or motorised |
| Flow measurement | Woltman / electromagnetic | Pulse or Modbus output |
| Pressure sensing | 0 – 10 bar, 4–20 mA | Upstream and downstream of manifold |
| RTU power | Solar + Li-ion | Autonomy sized for monsoon cloud cover |
| Communication | LoRa · 4G LTE | Backhaul over 4G, fibre or VSAT |
| Enclosure | IP65 or better | Lockable, door-open sensing |
| Integration | Modbus · MQTT · REST | Pump SCADA and department dashboards |
Typical values. Final selection follows site survey, hydraulic review and the project specification.
Functions that matter to the project owner
Volumetric quotas
Outlets close on delivered volume, not just on time, so allocation follows design discharge and CCA.
Rotational scheduling (warabandi)
Shift plans by zone, chak and outlet, pushed to RTUs and executed locally.
Pressure and burst protection
Low and high pressure limits trigger valve closure and alarms, and localise pipe failures.
Tamper and theft detection
Door switches, valve position feedback and unauthorised-flow detection at each cabinet.
Pump coordination
Open-outlet count and demand are shared with the pumping station so pumps stage with the schedule.
Audit-ready records
Delivered volume per farmer and season, downtime and grievance logs, exportable for departments and lenders.
Survey, supply, operate
Survey and design
Hydraulic review, instrument and valve placement, radio coverage study.
Supply and install
Field equipment installed, commissioned and tagged on GIS.
Operate and maintain
Remote monitoring, preventive maintenance and operator training through O&M.
What is an Outlet Management System in irrigation?
An OMS is an automated control point at each chak or outlet of a pressurised irrigation network. It combines control valves, a flow meter, pressure sensors and an RTU so water is released on schedule and in the planned volume, with every delivery recorded.
How is the volume quota for each outlet set?
Quotas are derived from crop water requirement, the culturable command area of each outlet and pump availability for the season. They are entered in the Control Centre and pushed to the RTUs as part of the shift plan.
Does the OMS keep working if the network connection is lost?
Yes. Schedules are stored on the RTU and run locally. Logged data uploads when the link returns.
Can the OMS work with an existing pump station SCADA?
Yes, over Modbus, MQTT or REST. Open-outlet and demand data can be shared with the pump station so pumps follow the irrigation schedule.
Related solutions
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