Wear on circular orifice plate of hollow-cone type agrochemical spray nozzles

Abstract

An orifice plate of spray nozzles changes pressurized agrochemical liquid spray into the finer droplets in order to accomplish application of pesticide on to the field crops. Application rate of pesticide per unit area (L/ha) is an important pre-defined parameter for a particular crop which is governed by the combined effect of flow rate per unit of time (L/min.) and the time of cover the unit area (hr/ha). The study has revealed the failures of orifices of hollow-cone nozzles, due to wear, to obey the constant rate of discharge of liquid pesticides with the usage of time. Hollow-cone nozzles with different materials of constructions (plastic, stainless steel and ceramic) were tested under the pressure of 3.5, 7.0, and 10.5 kg-cm^-2 respectively. Material of construction of orifice plates has shown significant effects of wear with the usage of time and recorded minimum in ceramic plate followed by stainless steel and plastic against each hydraulic pressure respectively.