Effect of Spraying Pressure and Usage on Discharge Rate and Wear of Hollow Cone Nozzle having different Nozzle Tip Material

Abstract

Spray nozzle and its tips, the most critical component of spray application equipment which influences the efficiency and effectiveness of the chemicals applied are the most neglected component in today’s farming. Hollow cone nozzles having different orifice tip materials (plastic, brass and stainless steel) were evaluated at three nozzle pressures (1.0, 3.0 and 5.0 kg.cm^-2) to assess their performance in terms of increase in discharge rate and wear of orifice tip diameter. Percent increase in discharge rate of different hollow cone nozzles at three pressures and time interval of usage showed that that plastic tip material could work within the permissible limit of 15 % increase in discharge rate for about 90, 35, 10 h of use at pressure of 1.0, 3.0 and 5.0 kg.cm^-2, respectively. Similarly, brass tip material can work for about 50, 30 and 7.5 h and stainless steel for 90, 50 and 17.5 h, respectively, at these pressures. The increase in average orifice diameter was higher in case of brass tip nozzle as compared to plastic and stainless steel tip nozzles at all pressures.