Abstract
The flow of air generated by a new design of air assisted sprayer equipped with two axial fans of reversed rotation was analyzed. For this goal, a 3D sonic anemometer has been used (accuracy: 1.5%; measurement range: 0 to 45 m/s). The study was divided into a static test and a dynamic test. During the static test, the air velocity in the working vicinity of the sprayer was measured considering the following machine configurations: (1) one activated fan regulated at three air flows (machine working as a traditional sprayer); (2) two activated fans regulated at three air flows for each fan. In the static test 72 measurement points were considered. The location of the measurement points was as follow: left and right sides of the sprayer; three sections of measurement (A, B and C); three measurement distances from the shaft of the machine (1.5 m, 2.5 m and 3.5 m); and four measurement heights (1 m, 2 m, 3 m and 4 m). The static test results have shown significant differences in the module and the vertical angle of the air velocity vector in function of the regulations of the sprayer. In the dynamic test, the air velocity was measured at 2.5 m from the axis of the sprayer considering four measurement heights (1 m, 2 m, 3 m and 4 m). In this test, the sprayer regulations were: one or two activated fans; one air flow for each fan; forward speed of 2.8 km/h. The use of one fan (back) or two fans (back and front) produced significant differences on the duration of the presence of wind in the measurement point and on the direction of the air velocity vector. The module of the air velocity vector was not affected by the number of activated fans.
Highlights
Air assisted sprayers are the type of equipment most commonly used to apply pesticides in tree crops
Static Characterization of the Air Flow Generated by the Sprayer
The air flow provided by front and back fans was quantified from the inlet air velocity and outlet air velocity
Summary
Air assisted sprayers are the type of equipment most commonly used to apply pesticides in tree crops. Four main factors affect the deposition efficiency: the nozzles type, the fluid pressure, the ground speed and the air volumetric flow rate The combination of these parameters determines the applied volume rate which influences the quality of the treatment [1,2]. The static characterization of the air flow pattern is a useful tool to predict the sprayer performance in dynamic conditions, with the sprayer in motion at a selected forward speed. In this sense, several studies have shown the relation between static and dynamic measurements [14,15]. Progress is needed in characterizing the air flow generated by these new machine designs to rigorously determine the advantages obtained by these sprayers in the application of the plant protection products
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