An Experimental Study of the Geometrical Effect on the Performance of an Agricultural Air Induction Nozzle

Target spraying has become of prime interest in the agricultural field to avoid the drift or rebound of the chemicals while spraying and consequently minimize water and soil pollution. Air induction nozzles are the means to spray chemicals such as pesticide in large size droplets which can resist the drift due to a potential wind and to minimize the rebound off the target with an explosion of induced air bubbles. To experimentally investigate the effect of the geometry of the air induction nozzle on its performance, a number of components are designed and manufactured to control various dimensions. The spray structure and air to liquid ratio were captured using planner imaging Mie scattering system and flowmeters respectively. Moreover, the mean droplet size was measured using a Malvern particle sizer. The parametric study showed the influence of each geometrical component on the resultant behavior. The result can help the nozzle designers to optimize the design target and enhance atomization efficiency.