SPRAY EQUIPMENT

Basic Components and Operations

PurposesPurposes

Used to apply agricultural chemicalsSpray pressures range from near 0 to over 300

pounds per square inch (PSI),Application rates can vary from less than 1 to over

100 gallons per acre (GPA).Basic components: pump, tank, agitation system,

flow-control assembly, pressure gauge, and distribution system

Reasons for CalibrationReasons for CalibrationIntense economic and environmental pressure

today.60 percent of the applicators were over or under

applying pesticides by more than 10 percent Four out of five sprayers had calibration errors and one out of three had mixing errors.

Equipment should be recalibrated periodically to compensate for wear

Pump and Flow ControlsPump and Flow Controls

A pump must have sufficient capacity to operate a hydraulic agitation system

Supply the necessary volume to the nozzlesCapacity of at least 25 percent greater than

the largest volume required by the nozzlesPumps should be resistant to corrosionThere are different pumps for different uses

NozzlesNozzlesRegulate flow Atomize the mixture into droplets Disperse the spray in a desirable pattern. Best suited for certain purposes Herbicides are

most effective when applied as droplets Nozzles determine the rate at a particular pressure, speed, & nozzle spacing

Brass, plastic, nylon, stainless steel, hardened stainless steel, and ceramic

Each nozzle on a sprayer should apply the same amount

Flow RateFlow Rate

Function of the orifice size and pressure

As pressure goes up flow rate increases, but not in a one-to-one ratio

To double the flow rate, you must increase the pressure four times

Nozzle Spray PatternsNozzle Spray PatternsSpray angle and the shape

of the patternAngles from 65 to 120

degreesNarrow angles produce a

more penetrating spray Wide-angle nozzles can be

mounted closer to the target

Flat fan, Hollow cone & Full cone

http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extpubs/ageng/machine/ae73-1.htm#Contents

Use the following website to write the equations you will need to

calibrate the spray rig

SPRAYER CALIBRATIONSPRAYER CALIBRATION

1. oz./nozzle/min x no. nozzle = oz./bloom/min.

2. oz./bloom/min. = gals./min (gpm) 128 oz. gal.3. gpm x 43560 = gpa boom width x dist/min4. gals. Tank cap ÷gpa = ac/tankload5. ac/tankload x amt. material/ac = amt.

material tankload