ISSN:
1432-1254
Keywords:
Key words Meteorology
;
Turbulence
;
Modelling
;
Spray drift
;
Wind
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Geography
,
Physics
Notes:
Abstract An insight into the nature of prevailing meteorological conditions and the manner in which they interact with spraying parameters is an important prerequisite in the analysis of the dynamics of agrochemical sprays. Usually, when these sprays are projected from hydraulic nozzles, their initial velocity is greater than that of the ambient wind speed. The flowfield therefore experiences changes in speed and direction which are felt upstream as well as downstream of the spray droplets. The pattern of the droplet flow, i.e. the shape of the streamlines marking typical trajectories, will be determined by a balance of viscous forces related to wind speed, inertial forces resulting from the acceleration of the airstream and pressure forces which can be viewed in terms of the drag forces exerted on the spray droplets themselves. At a certain distance in the ensuing motion, when the initial velocity of the spray droplets has decreased sufficiently for there to be no acceleration, their trajectories will be controlled entirely by the random effects of turbulence. These two transport processes in the atmosphere can be modelled mathematically using computers. This paper presents a model that considers the velocity of spray droplets to consist of a ballistic velocity component superimposed by a random-walk velocity component. The model is used to study the influence of meteorological and spraying parameters on the three-dimensional dynamics of spray droplets projected in specified directions in neutral and unstable weather conditions. The ballistic and random-walk velocity components are scaled by factors of (1–ξ) and ξ respectively, where ξ is the ratio of the sedimentation velocity and the relative velocity between the spray droplets and the surrounding airstream. This ratio increases progressively as the initial velocity of the spray droplet decreases with air resistance and attains a maximum when the sedimentation velocity has been reached. As soon as this occurs, the random-walk process predominates. The computed effects of the release height of spray droplets, atmospheric turbulence intensity, evaporation, drop size spectrum, wind velocity and wind direction on the transport process have been studied and an analysis of spray drift is provided.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s004840050074
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