Application of a 45° Bend Pipe with a Bypass Flow Meter without Changing the Flow Direction or the System Construction

Abstract

Sprinkler systems are widely used in agricultural production. Rapid and accurate determination of flow discharges is required in order to optimize the control and management of sprinkler systems. A number of studies on measurement methods and instruments have been published, but these options are very expensive. With the aim of finding techniques that are low in cost and require low energy consumption, the use of 90 bend pipe flow meters has been examined, but the equipment is difficult to install. In this study, we found that 45 bend pipes can be installed on any main straight pipe section without influencing the flow direction or pipeline system construction. The main flow discharge can then be defined by the proportion of the bypass flow discharge. The procedure for the design of bypass flow meters was accomplished by introducing orifices with different diameters into a bypass route based on the obtained experiment results. Since the bypass flow discharge is very small in comparison with the main pipe flow discharge, a small flow meter can be installed on the bypass route with considerable reduction in cost. Moreover, a float-type flow meter can also be installed on the bypass route in order to rapidly and accurately determine the flow discharge. Consequently, the control and management of the quantity of irrigated water are easier and more convenient. Accurate and timely water measurement is important for large-scale irrigation systems in agriculture.