Drive slower, spray more - Sprayer Productivity

Go slower. Spray more.Tom Wolf1 & Jason Deveau2

1 Agrimetrix Research & Training, Saskatoon2 OMAFRA Application Tech. Specialist, Simcoe

• High travel speeds increase drift potential.

• High travel speeds increase drift potential.

WAKE + TURBULENCE

• Tom was told this guy was traveling >25 k/hr!

• We were told this guy was traveling >25 k/hr!

• No one would really do this… right?

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Med Coarse Fine Med X. Coarse

XR80-03 AIXR110-025 XR110-04 XR110-05 DR110-05

On-

swat

h de

posi

t (%

of a

pplie

d)• If it’s drifting, then it’s not on

target.

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XR80-03 AIXR110-025 XR110-04 XR110-05 DR110-05

On-

swat

h de

posi

t (%

of a

pplie

d)

Low boomSlow speed

High boomFast speed

• If it’s drifting, then it’s not on target.

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XR80-03 AIXR110-025 XR110-04 XR110-05 DR110-05

On-

swat

h de

posi

t (%

of a

pplie

d)

Low boomSlow speed

High boomFast speed

• If it’s drifting, then it’s not on target.

• Lower boom and slower speed can mean >10% more on-swath. Even with smaller droplets!

• Can we counter high speeds and high booms with larger droplets?

Field SprayerTravel speed 13.0 km/h, Application volume 100 L/ha

Wind speed (km/h)

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32

Airb

orne

drif

t At 5

m (%

of e

mitt

ed)

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XR8003y = -0.85 + 0.18 xr2 = 0.79AI110025y = -0.16 + 0.04 xr2 = 0.72

30” Boom height at 14 mph vs. 20” and 8 mph


Wind speed (km/h)

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32

Airb

orne

drif

t At 5

m (%

of e

mitt

ed)

0.0

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XR8003y = -0.85 + 0.18 xr2 = 0.79AI110025y = -0.16 + 0.04 xr2 = 0.72

Turbo

TeeJ

et 11

005



Wind speed (km/h)

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32

Airb

orne

drif

t At 5

m (%

of e

mitt

ed)

0.0

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5.0

XR8003y = -0.85 + 0.18 xr2 = 0.79AI110025y = -0.16 + 0.04 xr2 = 0.72

TeeJet AI11004

Turbo

TeeJ

et 11

005



Wind speed (km/h)

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32

Airb

orne

drif

t At 5

m (%

of e

mitt

ed)

0.0

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1.0

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5.0

XR8003y = -0.85 + 0.18 xr2 = 0.79AI110025y = -0.16 + 0.04 xr2 = 0.72

TeeJet AI11004

Turbo

TeeJ

et 11

005


AI gives 2-fold driftreduction


Wind speed (km/h)

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32

Airb

orne

drif

t At 5

m (%

of e

mitt

ed)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

XR8003y = -0.85 + 0.18 xr2 = 0.79AI110025y = -0.16 + 0.04 xr2 = 0.72

AI110025, 20” Boom, 8 mph

TeeJet AI11004

Turbo

TeeJ

et 11

005




Wind speed (km/h)

0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32

Airb

orne

drif

t At 5

m (%

of e

mitt

ed)

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

XR8003y = -0.85 + 0.18 xr2 = 0.79AI110025y = -0.16 + 0.04 xr2 = 0.72

AI110025, 20” Boom, 8 mph

TeeJet AI11004

Turbo

TeeJ

et 11

005



Add lower boom and slower speed for 4-fold reduction

The “perfect” level boom shot… impossible?

Higher travel speeds make the boom pitch and yaw.

• Boom height is also critical when using dual fans on wheat heads.

Boom Height - Wheat

20 in 30 inWheat

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1-Upper 2-Mid 3-Lower

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PenultimateFlagHead

Boom height vs. coverage in wheat

20 inch 30 inchDistance to target

Boom Height - Wheat

20 in 30 inWheat

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3836

1-Upper 2-Mid 3-Lower

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PenultimateFlagHead

Boom height vs. coverage in wheat

~20% Improvement

20 inch 30 inchDistance to target

So slow down to reduce drift and

improve coverage.


improve coverage.

Should we lobby government to add 4 hours to each day?


improve coverage.

Should we lobby government to add 4 hours to each day?

Maybe there’s time left on the plate that we can claw back…

Idling 33%

Transport22%

Spray-ing 45%

Engine Hours

JD Link: 8 R4045 (450 engine hr/yr average)

151 h

97 h

203 h

So, what can we do

differently?

www.sprayers101.com

Let’s collect some numbers…

1 - Fill EfficiencyThe easiest path to efficiency gain

Go to www.sprayers101.com and type “nurse” in Search bar

Faster fill with a 3” pump

Photo: Landon Friesen (@Landon707)

2 - Sprayer CleanoutThe most mysterious sprayer activity

Let’s define some terms:


Cleaning: Total decontamination performed when changing chemicals, moving into sensitive crops, and at the end of every spray day.



Requires the use of a detergent and any label-required additive.



Requires the use of a detergent and any label-required additive.

Requires the operator to address filters and dead-end plumbing areas.

• There are lots of places for residue to hide…

Research has shown that sprayers can retain 10-15% of the original

concentration in empty/fill valves, boom ends &

filters...

P.G. Anderson et al. 2010

…while rinsate still measured only 1-2% at the

nozzle.

Hypro’s ExpressTM Nozzle Endcap


• Eliminates section-ends.



• Faster stops and starts.



• Faster stops and starts.

• Some question of build up (calypso) but may have valves in future.

• Adding valves and 90˚ bends works.

Rinsing: Dilutes residual spray mix, but does not address dead-end plumbing.

Rinsing: Dilutes residual spray mix, but does not address dead-end plumbing.

Should be performed every few loads, when moving empty sprayer between fields, and at minimum if the operator has (unwisely) decided not to fully clean the sprayer at the end of the day.

The power of dilution


Dilution Factor = Rinse volume + Remaining spray mix

Remaining spray mix



Remaining spray mix

• A single rinse of 150 gal. to 20 gal. leftover mix: Dilution factor of 8.5.



Remaining spray mix

• A single rinse of 150 gal. to 20 gal. leftover mix: Dilution factor of 8.5.

• But, serial dilution means 50 gal. to 20 gal. leftover, three times: Dilution factor of 3.5 x 3.5 x 3.5 = 43!

Photo source Monsanto demo plots: Chatham, Ontario

• Here are serial dilution rinses, sprayed on conventional soybeans

• No clean water tank? Add one!

Continuous Rinsing

• Europe has adopted a different way to rinse.

Continuous Rinsing

• Europe has adopted a different way to rinse.

• By adding a small dedicated pump, clean water moves directly to the rinse nozzles while the main pump sprays the rinsate.

Continuous Rinsing

1. Minimize remainder (accurate mixing).


2. Engage rinse pump as pressure drops (in field).



3. Let it build up a bit, then drive and spray.




4. Ensure pump capacity slightly less than boom rate (air bubbles help).




4. Ensure pump capacity slightly less than boom rate (air bubbles help).

5. Spray until empty.

Research in Europe showed continuous rinsing reduced

residue at the nozzle to 2% in far less time, without the operator

leaving the cab.

Working with HJV, we modified a RoGator 700 for Canada’s

Outdoor Farm Show in 2016.

1 - From fresh water tank via existing lines to a manifold…


2 – …into two, 7.5 gpm (@50 psi) electrical roller pumps…



3 - …through backflow prevention valves…



3 - …through backflow prevention valves… 4 - …teed into the existing rinse system.

CleanWater

Tank

Boom

MainPump

RinsePump

Sample Testing

…it’s only a model.

Remember

• The biggest result here is that it took <1/3 of the time vs. 3x rinsing… never leaving the cab.


• That translates to ~10 minutes versus 30-40.


• That translates to ~10 minutes versus 30-40.

• Perhaps if detergent (or ammonia) was added to the clean rinse tank, it might be better still… we’ll explore it this summer.

3 - BoomsThe most poorly-designed sprayer part?

Aluminum

Carbon Fibre

Better Suspension

NOW! With faster fills, more efficient cleaning and longer booms, our

new productivity is greatly improved!

Even if we slow down.

Measure

Evaluate

Improve

Time your operation step-by-step. Don’t guess!

Measure

Evaluate

Improve

Time your operation step-by-step. Don’t guess!

Then, make a change and measure the impact.

Tom Wolf@nozzle_guy

Jason Deveau@spray_guy

Learn more about spraying

www.sprayers101.com

Drive slower, spray more - Sprayer Productivity

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Transcript of Drive slower, spray more - Sprayer Productivity