Development Spray Systems for UAV plus some other stuff

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Development Spray Systems for UAV (plus some
other stuff)

• Clint Hoffmann, Yanbo Huang, and Brad Fritz
• USDA-ARS-Aerial Application Group
• College Station, TX

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Background

• This project is supported by the Deployed
  Warfighters Protection Program
• Initial project was started by DOD personnel with
  the Yamaha RMAX helicopter, but this helicopter
  required a trained pilot who had to maintain
  line-of-sight contact with the helicopter
• After investigating the UAVs available, we choose
  the Rotomotion UAVs.

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Rotomotion SR20
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Rotomotion SR200
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Components of System

• Helicopter fuel
• Control station
• Spray System.
• All components must be of minimum weight to
  remain within the 20 kg payload.

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Helicopter SR200

• 3 m (9.8 ft) rotor
• 2.8 m (9.7 ft) long
• 0.6 m (2 ft) wide
• Maximum payload 22.7 kg (50 lbs)
• Maximum speed 80 kph (50 mph)
• Our operational conditions 1.5 hrs of flight
  with 1 hr of spray time.

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Control System
Control System
Computer Interface Flight control software,
Google maps, wireless network
Manual Control Only as a last resort!
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Spray System

• Tank,
• Pump,
• Electronic Relays to turn spray on and off when
  the aircraft enters the preprogrammed spray are
• Spray nozzle.

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Gas Tanks
Electronic Controls For Spray Pump
Chemical Tank
Spray Pump
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Nozzle TestingLaser Diffraction Measurements
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Control Studies

• Studies will be conducted at one or more military
  bases in cooperation with US Navy- Naval
  Entomological Center of Excellence in
  Jacksonville, FL
• These studies will combine field determination of
  droplet size and cage bioassays.
• We hope to present this work at next years AMCA.

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Spray Equipment Rodeos

• With NECE personnel, we have rounded-up 32
  pieces of spray equipment used in vector control
  including truck-mounted, hand-held, and thermal
  fogging equipment
• Droplet size spectra from these machines were
  measured using a laser diffraction instrument
• Results have and are being published in JAMCA.

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2008 Equipment Rodeo

• We tested Birchmeier B245, Arro-Gun Mozzie,
  Guardian 190ES, MiniLite, L30, Anileator, P1,
  Maxi 4, and ULV PortaPak.
• Systems were tested with a water solution and BVA
  Oil
• Slide data was also collected.
• WeBrad Fritz, Todd Walker, Muhammad Farooq, Dan
  Szumlas, Vince Smith, the equipment manufacturs,
  and myself.
• We also had some helpers.

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Pictures
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Results

• Most of the sprayers had VMDs from 15-50 µm and
  some were as high as 75-88 µm
• The sprayers with the larger VMDs generated
  sprays with only 2-8 of the total volume in
  droplets less than 20 µm
• Results and paper are still be compiled.

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Thanks

• We appreciate the support and opportunity to
  serve the needs of the DWFP program
• Please let us know if there is anything that we
  can do to help you.