Hydraulic Performance Assessment of Sprinkler Irrigation with Rotating Spray Plate Sprinklers in Indoor Experiments
Publication: Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Volume 144, Issue 8
Abstract
A recently developed rotating spray plate sprinkler (RSPS) with a six-grooved plate (R 3000) is evaluated in this paper. A set of nozzles numbered (2.98 mm), (3.37 mm), and (3.77 mm) was tested with a nozzle elevation of 1.2 m using working pressures of 100, 200, and 300 kPa. The individual water distribution patterns, including the discharge–pressure relationship, wetted radius, sprinkler rotation speed, and water application rate, were evaluated under indoor experimental conditions. The results show that the discharge coefficient was mainly dependent on the nozzle diameter, which had a good value of more than 0.9 for all conditions. The wetted radius increased with the nozzle size as well as the operating pressure, and an empirical equation for those relationships was developed in this study. The sprinkler rotation time decreased with increasing operating pressure because an increase of the operating pressure resulted in an impact force from the nozzle to the plate sufficiently large to overcome the plate’s resistance. The sprinkler head produced quite similar water application parabola-shaped profiles at different nozzle sizes, and equations of the water application rate with regard to the distance from the sprinklers are provided. The average coefficients of determination for , 3.37, and 3.77 mm were 88.2, 81.3, and 90.1%, respectively.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are greatly indebted to the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2016YFC0400202), the Postdoctoral Science Foundation Special Support of China (No. 2016T90428), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 51579116) and the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions (PAPD).
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©2018 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 14, 2017
Accepted: Mar 26, 2018
Published online: Jun 8, 2018
Published in print: Aug 1, 2018
Discussion open until: Nov 8, 2018
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