The Effect of Design and the Accelerated Wear Test of Agricultural Nozzles on the Resulting Droplet Size

The change in the size of the droplets during the pesticide application process could have a negative impact on the percentage of drift or the losses of pesticides to the environment. One of the factors that could affect the droplet size produced from a single nozzle is the internal design of the nozzle itself, in addition to the wear of the nozzle orifice as a result of the usage time. In this research, three types of nozzles with different internal designs were used (Turbo TeeJet (TT), Turbo TwinJet (TTj 6011003), and Drift Guard (DG 11003)). The nozzles were subjected to an accelerated wear test for one hundred hours, and different droplet size parameters (Dv 0.1, Dv 0.5, Dv 0.9), relative span (RS), and Sauter mean diameter (SMD) were measured during and after this test. The measurements were made using the Sympatec HELOS-VARIO/KR device in fifteen positions along the spray swath. The results of the study showed that the droplet size (Dv 0.5) generally increased for the DG 11003 and TTj 6011003 nozzles after the accelerated wear test (worn nozzles), while there was a decrease in Dv 0.5 for the TT 11003 nozzles. The DG 11003 nozzles (before and after the wear test) had the highest percentage of droplets with a size smaller than 150 μm (%< 150 μm) compared to the TT 11003 and TTj 6011003 nozzles. Moreover, the %< 150 μm was higher in the middle position of the spray swath for the three types of nozzles and the new and worn nozzles.