Evaluating Hydraulic Performance of Locally Available Drip Emitters Used in Pakistan
Evaluating Hydraulic Performance of Locally Available Drip Emitters Used in Pakistan
Tariq Mahmood Khalil1,2*, Muhammad Ajmal2, Taj Ali Khan2, Zia Ul Haq2, Muhammad Shahzad Khattak2 and Abdul Malik2
ABSTRACT
In drip irrigation system, emitters are the key system components. The hydraulic performance of these drip emitters may affect the efficiency of irrigation schemes if not conforming to specified standards. The main objective of this study was to investigate the hydraulic characteristics including average flow rate, emitter exponent, distribution uniformity, emitter discharge coefficient of variation, and statistical uniformity of locally available drip emitters. These indices were compared with the manufacturer data and available technical standards. A test bench was developed to measures the flow of emitters at different operating pressures. Data was consequently used for evaluating the hydraulic flow characteristics. Nine types of emitters marked S1-S9 having sample size of 27 were tested on the hydraulic bench. When evaluated for compliance with manufacturer claim for being marked as PC and Non-PC, all the emitters passed the test except for S1. The statistical uniformity of S9 ranked highest (96.62%) compared to other emitter types, while S2 ranked lowest (87.99%). When appraised for discharge variation under variable head, S3 discharge variation was not significant (2%) whereas S8 had the highest discharge variation of 38%. Overall the distribution uniformity of tested emitters ranged from 83.84% to 96.67%. Based on the outcome of this study it is suggested that drip emitters should be tested before adoption to ensure uniformity of water application.
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