No abstract

Fixed water dispersion breaks up and disperses the jet issuing from the nozzle of an impact sprinkler continuously upon impingement. The performance of an impact sprinkler is influenced by the spatial distribution of the dispersed droplets. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of a fixed water dispersion device on jet dispersion and range from an impact sprinkler. A series of experiments were conducted using high‐speed photography technology to capture images for analysis. A model of the jet was developed and applied in a MatLab computation program to determine the initial jet breakup lengths and the angles of dispersion. Comparison of the calculated values with other formulas indicated an average relative error of less than 10%. The spreading angle was wider with increased working pressure and insertion depth in the jet stream from the device. A semi‐empirical formula of spray range for the test sprinkler with a fixed water dispersion device was established through curve fitting. Because the new formula depends on the angle of dispersion, it may be useful as a simple and quick way to estimate the dispersion and uniformity of water distribution within the area irrigated. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The world is increasingly experiencing water scarcity due to the impact of climate change, a phenomenon that is affecting agricultural production, particularly in tropical regions. An effective response system is required to adapt and reduce the impact on agricultural production. There have been calls on the role agriculture can play to reduce the impact without compromising food security. Hence, the present article discusses some of the major difficulties in water-smart sprinkler irrigation to adapt to the impact of climate change on agricultural production. In order to meet investment cost with water-smart sprinkler irrigation, the fixed water dispersion device for an impact sprinkler needs to be optimized to improve its performance under low pressure conditions. This is necessary to produce the desirable droplets sizes for minimising evaporation losses and distortion by wind, whilst maintaining the large distance of throw. Further research should be backed by strong institutional support towards a wide-scale adoption of water-smart sprinkler irrigation technologies. This could be of significant benefit to better water management in the artificially drained catchments and lessen the impact of climate change on agricultural production.