Droplet Size Spectrum, Activation Pressure, and Flow Rate Discharged from PWM Flat-Fan Nozzles

2021 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 313-325
Author(s):  
Zhiming Wei ◽  
Heping Zhu ◽  
Zhihong Zhang ◽  
Ramón Salcedo ◽  
Degang Duan
Keyword(s):  
Droplet Size ◽  
Duty Cycle ◽  
Solenoid Valve ◽  
Variable Rate ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Flow Rates ◽  
Nozzle Orifice ◽  
Duty Cycles ◽  
Droplet Sizes ◽  
Droplet Size Distributions

HighlightsDroplet sizes, activation pressures acting on nozzle orifices, and flow rates were investigated.Droplet sizes varied with duty cycles, nozzle orifice sizes, and PWM solenoid valve manufacturers.Activation pressures decreased as duty cycles decreased and increased as nozzle orifice sizes decreased.Flow rates increased with increases in both duty cycles and nozzle orifice sizes.Abstract. Pulse width modulated (PWM) spray systems can produce variable spray rates for precision applications of pesticide and fertilizer; however, there are also concerns over their spray performance stability. Droplet size distributions, activation pressures acting on nozzle orifices, and flow rates discharged from nozzles were investigated for test combinations of ten PWM duty cycles (10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100%), six flat-fan nozzles with different orifice sizes (XR8001, XR8002, XR8003, XR8004, XR8005, and XR8006), and two PWM solenoid valves from two different manufacturers. Test results showed that the droplet size distribution, activation pressure, and flow rate varied with the duty cycle, nozzle orifice size, and PWM solenoid valve source. For XR8001 and XR8002 nozzles, droplet sizes did not vary significantly with all duty cycles from 10% to 100%. To obtain relatively consistent droplet size distributions, XR8003 and XR8004 nozzles required PWM duty cycles of at least 20%, while XR8005 and XR8006 nozzles required duty cycles of 30% or greater. The activation pressure directly on nozzle orifices increased as the duty cycle increased but decreased as the nozzle orifice size increased. In addition, the same nozzles coupled with PWM solenoid valves from two different manufacturers discharged different flow rates for the same duty cycle in the range of 10% to 90%. Therefore, careful selection of PWM solenoid valves for different orifice nozzles operated at different duty cycles was necessary to achieve consistent variable-rate spray performances. Keywords: Droplet diameter, Variable rate, PWM solenoid valve, Pesticide, Fertilizer, Precision farming.

Spray Characteristics of Rotary Micro Sprinkler Nozzles Used in Orchard Pesticide Delivery

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (6) ◽  
pp. 1845-1853
Author(s):  
Huseyin Guler ◽  
Zhihong Zhang ◽  
Heping Zhu ◽  
Matthew Grieshop ◽  
Mark A. Ledebuhr
Keyword(s):  
Droplet Size ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
Orifice Diameter ◽  
List Type ◽  
Spray Drift ◽  
Operating Pressure ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Multiple Variable ◽  
Droplet Sizes ◽  
Droplet Size Distributions

HighlightsDroplet sizes were determined for rotary micro sprinkler nozzles used in solid set canopy delivery systems.An empirical multiple-variable model was developed to predict volume median diameters in spray patterns.Sprinkler nozzles produced medium to coarse droplets to minimize pesticide drift in orchards and trellised systems.Droplet size information can be used to select optimal nozzles for either irrigation or pesticide delivery systems.Abstract. Rotary micro sprinkler nozzles can be used for both irrigation and pesticide applications in orchard systems, but little to no information is available on their droplet size distributions. In this study, the droplet size distributions were investigated and described for rotary micro sprinkler nozzles with five different orifice diameters. A particle/droplet laser image analysis system was used to measure droplet spectra at two pressures (207 and 310 kPa) and two radial distances (0.25 and 0.85 m) from the sprinkler nozzle center. Nozzle orifice sizes, rotational speeds, and flow rates were also measured. Droplet sizes varied with the orifice size, operating pressure, and sampling location. Spiral-shaped spray patterns formed due to the spinning discharge port, within which droplet densities varied with location, orifice diameter, and operating pressure. The volume medium diameters (Dv0.5) for green-black, orange-blue, black-black, blue-black, and red-gray nozzles were respectively 317, 338, 379, 352, and 218 µm at 207 kPa and 283, 250, 283, 270, and 222 µm at 310 kPa. An empirical multiple-variable regression model was developed to predict Dv0.5 in the spray patterns discharged from the nozzles. Test results demonstrated that the rotary micro sprinkler nozzles produced medium to coarse droplets that could be used to minimize spray drift while maintaining efficacy in orchard pesticide applications. Keywords: Chemical application, Droplet size, Irrigation, Rotary nozzle, Spray drift reduction.

scholarly journals Pneumatic Atomization: Beam-Steering Correction in Laser Diffraction Measurements of Spray Droplet Size Distributions

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 1738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Wittner ◽  
Heike Karbstein ◽  
Volker Gaukel
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Droplet Size ◽  
Beam Steering ◽  
Correction Method ◽  
Laser Diffraction ◽  
New Method ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Spray Droplet ◽  
Droplet Sizes ◽  
Droplet Size Distributions

Laser diffraction is among the most widely used methods for spray droplet size measurements. However, the so-called beam-steering effect must be considered when pneumatic atomizers are used for droplet generation. The beam-steering effect is a systematic measurement error, leading to the detection of apparent large spray droplets due to gradients in the refractive index of the gas phase. The established correction method is based on the reduction of the laser diffraction system’s measurement range by deactivation of detectors, relevant for the detection of large droplets. As this method is only applicable when size ranges of real and apparent droplet sizes are clearly different, an alternative method for beam-steering correction is introduced in the presented study. It is based on a multimodal log-normal fit of measured spray droplet sizes. The modality representing the largest droplets is correlated to the beam-steering effect and therefore excluded from the measured size distribution. The new method was successfully applied to previously published droplet size distribution measurements of an internal mixing Air-Core-Liquid-Ring (ACLR) atomizer. In measurements where the method of detector deactivation is applicable, excellent accordance of droplet size distributions, gained by both correction methods, was found. In measurements with overlapping real and apparent parts of the distribution, the new correction method led to a significant reduction of overestimated large droplets. As a consequence, we conclude that the new method presented here for beam-steering correction should be applied in laser diffraction measurements of spray droplet sizes, generated by pneumatic atomizers.

DROPLET SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS OF ADJUVANT-AMENDED SPRAYS FROM AN AIR-ASSISTED FIVE-PORT PWM NOZZLE

2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiabing Gu ◽  
Heping Zhu ◽  
Weimin Ding ◽  
Hong Young Jeon
Keyword(s):  
Droplet Size ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Droplet Size Distributions

CONVERSION OF DROPLET SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS FROM PMS OPTICAL ARRAY PROBE TO MALVERN LASER DIFFRACTION

2002 ◽  
Vol 12 (1-3) ◽  
pp. 267-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milton E. Teske ◽  
Harold W. Thistle ◽  
Andrew J. Hewitt ◽  
I. W. Kirk
Keyword(s):  
Droplet Size ◽  
Laser Diffraction ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Array Probe ◽  
Droplet Size Distributions

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION, SCALE-UP AND MODELING OF DROPLET SIZE DISTRIBUTIONS IN TURBULENT MULTIPHASE JETS

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simeon Pesch ◽  
Rebecca Knopf ◽  
Anahita Radmehr ◽  
Claire B. Paris ◽  
Zachary M. Aman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Droplet Size ◽  
Scale Up ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Droplet Size Distributions
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