DESIGN OF A RECYCLING TUNNEL SPRAYER USING CFD SIMULATIONS

Tunnel sprayers have the potential to reduce both drift and runoff. However, it has proven difficult to design a tunnel sprayer that distributes spray uniformly on the trees and with a significant reduction in losses to the ground. After focusing on the main imperfections of existing tunnel sprayers, a method for checking sprayer performance and building an improved prototype of recycling tunnel sprayer is discussed and tested. The stages are described, starting from the design, using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), to the construction of the prototype. The model is then validated with experimental measurements and preliminary field tests. The results obtained in the absence of vegetation show that the sprayer was effective in reducing losses, increasing the recovery of sprayed liquid up to 95%, and providing good distribution uniformity.