Automated System for the Process of Artificial Rain Generation

Abstract

Different models of rainfall simulators have been developed over time, and the use of electronics has allowed achieving higher levels of production and control. On this subject, the aim is to present the development of a technical system for automated generation of simulated rain. The study was divided into two stages. In the first stage, the development of the automated system for generating simulated rain was carried out. In the second stage, tests were conducted to verify the functioning of the proposed system. The result are: (i) concept of the system developed is compound by a sensor of flow rate, pressure and temperature, digital display, interface cable of computer and four buttons that allows the setup of the simulated rain (the plot of land, time and volume of water to produce the simulated rain). It can be programmed up to 240 parcel, maximum time each experiment of 240 minutes and the volume of rain according to the pump used. (ii) to check the functioning of the electronic system, a test in the laboratory was done. During the automated operation, the system measured pressure (kPa), water flow (L min -1 ), temperature (ºC), and time (minute). The operation was evaluated and it was concluded that it enable the automated generation of simulated rain and that under the experimental conditions studied (without the influence of wind, natural rain or sun), the 17 repetitions totaled 510 minutes of experiments, in which time the prototype showed neither failures in programming or measurement errors of the sensors.Keywords: automation, electronics, simulated rainfall, hydrology, water and soil. RESUMODiferentes modelos de simuladores de chuva foram desenvolvidos ao longo do tempo, e a utilização de sistemas eletrônicos permitiu alcançar maiores níveis de produção e controle.

The wetted area uniformity of the rainfall generated by different sprinkler nozzles

“…In the rain simulators design, the automation of the simulated rainfall generation process through electronic systems allows controlling the pressure, flow, temperature, time and intensity of precipitation, generating rainfall with the same characteristics for several times (SANTOS et al, 2016). An important parameter to be considered in the Rain Simulators design is the selection of sprinklers based on their water distribution uniformity, that affects the simulated rainfall generated (SANTOS, 2017).…”