Abstract
Water application uniformity is an important performance parameter when designing and operating an irrigation system. Performance tests of a center pivot irrigation system equipped with fixed and rotated spray plate sprinklers (FSPS and RSPS, respectively) were conducted at five travel speeds. The effects of travel speed, collector size, and setting height on water application uniformity were evaluated using Heermann and Hein’s coefficient of uniformity (CUH). The CUH was 12.7% higher for the RSPS than the FSPS and decreased as the travel speed increased. Collector size and setting height affected CUH, and CUH was higher when the collector had a large opening cross-section compared to the collector with a small opening cross-section. CUH was higher when the collector with a low setting height compared to when it a high setting height for the FSPS. However, collector setting height had no effect on CUH for the RSPS. The weighted average water application depth (Dw) decreased as the travel speed increased. Collector size had no significant effect on Dw, but Dw with a low collector setting height was larger than the values with a high collector setting height. The water application rate increased as distance from the pivot point increased and was higher for the FSPS than the RSPS. The results will improve the selection of travel speed and collector when the water application uniformity of a center pivot irrigation system is evaluated.
Highlights
A variety of sprinkler irrigation systems are widely available for use, such as center pivot, lateral move, solid set, side roll, traveler, and hand move systems
The results showed that water application uniformity appeared to be relatively insensitive to collector spacing, but uniformity variability and inconsistency was related to collector size
The objectives of this study were (1) to evaluate the water application uniformity of a center pivot irrigation system equipped with two types of low-pressure sprinklers, and (2) to investigate the effect of travel speed, collector size, and setting height on water application uniformity
Summary
A variety of sprinkler irrigation systems are widely available for use, such as center pivot, lateral move, solid set, side roll, traveler, and hand move systems. Among these irrigation systems, center pivot irrigation systems have been shown to be water and labor efficient, and can irrigate relatively flat and wide areas of land [1,2,3,4]. Center pivot irrigation systems are increasingly equipped with low-pressure sprinklers to reduce energy consumption [11,12]. Some studies have evaluated the water application uniformity of the center pivot irrigation system and the effects that various factors have on it. Yan et al [16] analyzed the effect of the percent timer parameters on the water application
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