Experimental Study on Droplet Characteristics of Rotating Sprinklers with Circular Nozzles and Diffuser

Jian Wang, Zhuoyang Song, Rui Chen, Ting Yang and Zuokun Tian
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Jian Wang: Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212000, China
Zhuoyang Song: Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212000, China
Rui Chen: Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212000, China
Ting Yang: New Huaishu River Administration Office of Jiangsu Province, Huai’an 223005, China
Zuokun Tian: Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212000, China

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 7, 1-21

Abstract: The characteristics of spray droplets are important for calculating the hydraulic performance of sprinklers. In order to evaluate the effects of working pressure and nozzle diameter on the near ground droplet characteristics of the Nelson R33 sprinkler, an experiment was conducted to test the droplet size and velocity by using a two-dimensional video disdrometer (2DVD). Based on the water application rate, droplet diameter and velocity, the kinetic energy was calculated. The results show that there is an exponential positive correlation between the range and the volume-weighted mean particle size of droplets (VMD). The average kinetic energy of a single droplet fits well with the power function model. Under the minimum pressure of 200 kPa, the diameter and kinetic energy of droplets are large, and the peak values are 5.67 mm and 0.0092 J, which are 1.14 to 1.62 times and 1.18 to 5.68 times those of other working conditions, respectively. When the nozzle diameter is the smallest (4.4 mm), the droplet diameter and peak kinetic energy are 1.12 to 1.58 times and 1.02 to 1.26 times higher than 4.8 and 5.2 mm. Therefore, it is not recommended to work under the condition of less than 250 kPa, and a small-diameter nozzle should be selected while ensuring uniform kinetic energy.

Keywords: sprinkler irrigation; droplet diameter; droplet velocity; kinetic energy distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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