Thermal fluid dynamics of water droplet in sprinkler irrigation: Phenomenological analysis and modeling

A thorough understanding of the factors affecting spray flow and evaporation losses in sprinkler irrigation is important for developing appropriate water conservation strategies. To properly tackle this problem, relevant theoretical and experimental studies have been carried out during the second half of the last century. Notwithstanding all these efforts, the phenomenon of aerial evaporation of droplets exiting from a nozzle has not been fully understood yet and something new has to be added to the description of the process to reach a better assessment of the events. To this end, a mathematical model for irrigation sprinkler droplet ballistics, based on a simplified dynamic approach to the phenomenon, has been presented. The model proves to fully match the kinematic results obtained by more complicated procedures. Moreover, field trials showed the model to reliably estimate spray evaporation losses caused by environmental conditions. Further analytical and experimental activities are needed to gain a better understanding of water flow and waste in sprinkler irrigation practice.