Justification and calculation of design features of drum-type hydroponics

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to evaluate the design features of rotary hydroponics and then obtain a method for calculating the main technical characteristics. Drum (rotary) hydroponics is a promising method of growing on artificial media. The planting surface in this method is located on the inner cylindrical surface of the rotor rotating around the lamp. The design of the rotary hydroponics has a number of advantages such as: smaller installation area due to planting in the cylinder area; energy savings due to rational use of the light source; liquid saving for the formation of a nutrient solution due to the alternate immersion of the roots in a more compact bath. In this paper, a number of theoretical aspects for the calculation of drum (rotary) hydroponic machines is considered to ensure the highest productivity. As a result, a method for calculating the following characteristics was derived: determination of the required radius of the rotor depending on plant height; number of planting spots with a known radius and width of the rotor; minimum amount of necessary nutrient solution; electricity consumed when using LED lamps.