Crop Protection Equipment and Calibration

1
Crop Protection Equipment and Calibration

• Basic Training Presentation

2
Changes in the Application Industry!

• Historically inefficient process
• Increased cost per acre for crop protection
• Rates are changing (lt an ounce/acre)
• More pest specific products (foliar)
• Biotechnology and GMOs Issues????
• More sophisticated equipment (electronics)
• Environmental impact (water and air)
• Variable rates
• Site-specific

3
R-U Ready Soybean Explosion
1996-1 Million
199820-30 Million

• Acreage of roundup ready ready (genetically
  modified) soybeans under cultivation in the
  United States.

19979 Million
199935 Million
4
Equipment cost today?

• How much do these machines cost?

150,000 - 200,000
5
Equipment cost today?

• How much does this machine cost?

250,000 - 300,000
6
What about the cost of the nozzle?
7
Application Equipment and Calibration Outline

• Discuss Misapplication
• Basic Application Equipment
• Components of a Sprayer
• System Designs
• Understanding Nozzles
• Importance of Nozzles
• Calibration and Nozzle Selection
• Spray Solution Affect on Output
• Ground Speed

8
Application is Important

• Many complaints to chemical company
  representatives involve improper application of
  chemicals.
• Improper mixing procedures
• Travel speed errors
• Uniformity of coverage
• Incorrect quantities added to the tank
• Particle drift
• Selection and maintenance of nozzles

9
Misapplication Facts
Farmland Insurance
Based on insurance claim payouts!
10
Application Equipment

• Two basic types of application systems
• Liquid (sprayers)
• Granular

11
Basic application devices

• Hand can pump sprayers
• Backpack sprayers
• Boom sprayers
• High pressure sprayers
• Air-assist sprayers
• Aerial (spray and granular)
• Granular

12
Sprayer Components

• Tanks (contamination issues)
• Pump, Strainers, Agitation
• Pressure gauge
• Hoses, Flow control assemblies
• Electronics monitors-computers- controllers
  (GPS/GIS)
• Distribution system
• Nozzles!!!!!!!!!

13
Types of Pumps

• Roller Pump
• Centrifugal Pump
• Diaphragm Pump
• Piston Pump
• Peristaltic Pump (Squeeze or hose pump chemical
  injection)

14
Plumbing Diagram
15
Plumbing Diagram
16
Plumbing Diagram
17
Nozzle Types

• Flat Spray Tips
• Extended Range Flat-fan
• Drift Reduction Flat-fan
• Turbo Flood Flat-fan
• Turbo Flat-fan
• AI Flat-fan
• TurboDrop

• Cone Spray Tips
• Raindrop

18
Spray Characteristics are Important to Understand
19
Selecting the proper nozzle

• Legal issues!!
• Following the label!

20
Nozzles are important because
21
Misapplication

• Without proper attention to the nozzle, you may
  end up with a
• Misapplication

22
1. Control the Amount applied

• Nozzle Flow Rate is affected by
• Orifice size
• Pressure
• Solution characteristics

23
Nomenclature
Extended Range
Trade Name
(S,H,P,K,SS)
Stainless Steel Insert Orifice
VisiFlo Color Coding
Fan angle and flow rate-orifice size
Rated Pressure
40 psi for most nozzle types 10 psi for turbo
flood nozzles
24
Typical nozzle numbering system
Extended-range flat-fan XR 11004 XR Extended-range
Extended-range flat-fan XR 11004 110 110 degree fan angle
Extended-range flat-fan XR 11004 04 0.4 GPM _at_ 40 psi
Even flat-fan (Band applications) 8002E E Even spray pattern
Even flat-fan (Band applications) 8002E 80 80 degree fan angle
Even flat-fan (Band applications) 8002E 02 0.2 GPM _at_ 40 psi
Turbo flood - (small capacity) TF- 4 TF Turbo flood
Turbo flood - (small capacity) TF- 4 4 4 GPM _at_ 10 psi
Turbo flood (Floater capacity) QCTF - 40 QCTF Quick attach turbo flood
Turbo flood (Floater capacity) QCTF - 40 40 4.0 GPM _at_ 10 psi
25
MATERIALS AND WEAR
Percent increase in nozzle flow rate Flat-fan
spray nozzles after 40 hour test
26
2. Set up for Uniformity

• Goal is to put the material on evenly from
  nozzle to nozzle, end of boom to end of boom, and
  across the entire field.
• 20-inch spacing requires 17-19 above target for
  50-60 overlap.

27
3. Will determine coverage

• Need knowledge of the product being used.
• Systemic
• Contact
• What is the target?
• Soil
• grass
• broadleaf (smooth, hairy, waxy)

28
4. Will affect drift

• Movement of spray particles off-target.
• Creating smaller spray drops will result in
  increased drift.
• Is it Coverage vs Drift?
• What is the answer?

64 Million Question?
29
Calibration/Nozzle Selection

• What is the first step?
• Use label to select the
• application volume
• product rate
• Choose an appropriate travel speed
• Effective width of application
• nozzle spacing
• Calculate GPM Flow rate per nozzle
• Select the correct size of nozzle!

30
Calculations
!_at_!
GPA
5940
31
Calculations
Ok, now I remember!
GPA
5940
32
Nozzle size - Variables

• Nozzle flow rate (GPM)
• Ground speed (MPH)
• Effective sprayed width (W)
• Application rate (GPA)

33
Application Rate Equation
Equation 1

• Calculates for application rate
• Represents total amount applied for an acre

34
Flow Rate Equation
Equation 2

• Calculates for amount of flow from one nozzle
• Represents the size of nozzle to put on the
  sprayer

35
Where

• GPA ______________________
• GPM ______________________
• MPH ______________________
• W ______________________
• 5940 a constant to convert gallons per
  minute, miles per hour, and inches to gallons per
  acre

gallons per acre
gallons per minute
miles per hour
nozzle spacing - inches
36
Variables
1. Nozzle Flow Rate - Gallons Per Minute (GPM)
To double the nozzle output, the pressure must
increase times
4
2. Ground speed - Miles Per Hour (MPH)
1/2
Doubling the ground speed reduces GPA rate by___

3. Effective Sprayed Width (W) (Nozzle spacing,
band width, number of nozzles on drop)
Doubling the effective sprayed width per nozzle
decreases the application rate by .
1/2
37
Electronics/Rate Controllers

• How does your system work when speed changes?
• Is it pressure based?
• What is the effect of going slower?
• What is the effect of going faster?

38
Application Nozzle type

GPA MPH -INCH SPACING
GPM x x
5940
GPM
The correct nozzle is used at
psi.
39
GPM Example

• You want to broadcast a foliar herbicide at 12
  GPA traveling 12 MPH using extended range
  flat-fan nozzles on 20-inch spacing.
• Use equation to calculate for flow rate?

40
GPA Example Solution
GPM?
GPA?
MPH?
W?
GPM?
GPA12
MPH12
W20
41
GPM Example Solution
.48
Answer
42
Selecting the proper nozzle.
Page 51 TeeJet Catalog
43
Selecting the proper nozzle.

• Calculate GPM (formula)
• Look under Capacity of 1 nozzle in GPM column
• Match to pressure-psi
• Choose the size needed
• Operate at given pressure and speed used in
  formula to achieve GPA

.48
44
Spray Solution Characteristics

• A. Surface Tension
• B. Density
• C. Viscosity

Effects droplet size, not flow

• Weight/unit volume
• density - flow rate decreases

Resistance to flow
45
Spraying Solutions other that water28
CONVERSION see page 124, SS
28 _______ lbs/gal Specific Gravity Weight
of 28/gal divided by weight of water/gal

46
28 CONVERSION
10.65
28 _______ lbs/gal Specific Gravity Weight
of 28/gal divided by weight of water/gal
10.65
1.28

8.34
47
Conversion factor square root of specific
gravity of 28
x
48
Conversion factor square root of specific
gravity of 28
1.13
x
1.13
49
MEASURE SPEED
(1 MPH 88 Feet traveled in 60 seconds)
Measure the ground speed in an area similar to
the conditions of the area to be sprayed!
50
Nozzle Selection Chart