Optimizing the Structure of Micro-spray Tape to Improve Irrigation Uniformity

Abstract

【Objective】 Micro-spray irrigation is a common technology used for different purposes. The aim of this paper is to experimentally study how to improve spraying uniformity by optimizing the structure of the spray tapes. 【Method】 The two commercial spray tapes, N32 slant 3-hole (CK1) and N32 slant 5-hole (CK2) were used as references. We studied the improvement of the 30 m slant 3-hole combined with 10 m slant 5-hole micro spray tape (T31), as well as the 20 m slant 3-hole combined with 20 m slant 5-hole micro spray tape (T32), compared to the references. Each micro-spray tape was tested under four working pressures. 【Result】 With the increase in working pressure, water pressure in the tapes, single-hole flow rate, spraying distance, water distribution area all increased. With the increase in working pressure, these factors gradually decreased in the direction of the tube rectangle, though the decrease varied with spray tape. With the increases in working pressure, the spraying uniformity of CK1, T31 and T11 increased first and then decreased, while the uniformity of CK2 consistently increased. When working pressure was 0.035 MPa, the overall spray uniformity of T11 was 63.8%, the highest among all treatments. 【Conclusion】 Optimizing the structure of micro spray tape combined with adjusting working pressure can improve spray uniformity of the micro spray irrigation. Reducing the space between adjacent holes (i.e., to increase the number of holes) at the end of the tape can improve spraying uniformity. For the four micro-spray tapes we tested, each micro spray tape has an associated optimal working pressure, and correctly setting the working pressure is hence important to improve irrigation efficiency and uniformity.

Keywords

• micro-spray tape
• working pressure
• structural optimization
• spraying characteristics