Wind‑Induced Drift and Uniformity Control of a Novel Atomizing Nozzle under Low Pressure Sprinkler Irrigation

Yongqiang Zhang¹, Xingye Zhu^1, , Chenglin Wang¹, Sijia Zhu¹ and Junping Liu¹

¹Research Center of Fluid Machinery Engineering and Technology, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China

Cite this paper:
Yongqiang Zhang, Xingye Zhu, Chenglin Wang, Sijia Zhu and Junping Liu. Wind‑Induced Drift and Uniformity Control of a Novel Atomizing Nozzle under Low Pressure Sprinkler Irrigation. World Journal of Agricultural Research. 2026; 14(1):18-28. doi: 10.12691/wjar-14-1-3

Abstract

Background: Wind speed is a key environmental factor affecting the atomization performance and irrigation quality of sprinkler irrigation systems, with wind‑induced drift and reduced uniformity being particularly prominent under low‑pressure sprin-kler conditions.Methods: To investigate the coupling effects of wind speed, nozzle structural parameters, and operating conditions, this study adopted an L9 (3³) orthogonal experimental design with nozzle orifice diameter (1.0 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.5 mm), operating pressure (0.2 MPa, 0.3 MPa, 0.4 MPa), and wind speed (2 m/s, 4 m/s, 6 m/s) as experimental factors. The effects of these parameters on sprinkler uniformity (Christiansen uniformity coefficient, CU) and drift loss rate under the influence of wind speed were systematically investigated. Results: The results show that wind speed had the most significant effect on sprinkler uniformity: as wind speed increased from 2 m/s to 6 m/s, the average CU decreased by 4.4 percentage points. Under the influence of wind speed, nozzle orifice diameter did not significantly affect the drift loss rate; however, the 1.2 mm diameter exhibited the best balance between uniformity and wind resistance. Operating pressure had a significant effect on drift loss rate: when the pressure increased from 0.2 MPa to 0.4 MPa, the average drift loss rate increased by 5 percentage points, while the improvement in uniformity was limited. The optimal combination of parameters was a nozzle orifice diameter of 1.2 mm, an operating pressure of 0.4 MPa, and a wind speed of 2 m/s. Under this combination, sprinkler uniformity reached 82.06% and the drift loss rate was controlled at 32.46%, achieving an optimal balance between uniformity and anti‑drift performance. Conclusion: This study reveals the coupling effects of wind speed and nozzle structural parameters on atomization performance, clarifies the regulation effects of structural parameters when wind speed changes, and provides a theoretical basis for the optimal selection of sprinkler systems and the configuration of operating parameters under complex wind conditions in the field.

Keywords:
wind speed variation drift loss sprinkler uniformity orthogonal experiment parameter optimization

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