Ground Speed Control of a Direct Injection Sprayer

A Direct injection -mixing total -flow -control sprayer was developed and evaluated . The system provided precise application rates and minimized operator exposure to chemicals as well as providing a possibility for recycling container so f unused chemicals that can causes environmental contamination. Chemicals were metered and injected proportionally to the diluent flow rate to provide constant concentrations. The main diluent flow was varied in response to changes in travel speed. Experimental variables of the sprayer were the control interval, the sensitivity of flow regulating valve, the tolerance of control object and the sensitivity of the injection pump system. The optimal performance of the flow control system was with an average response time of 8.5 sec at an absolute steady state of error of 0.067 L/min (0.8% of flow rate). The average response time of the injection rate was -0.53 sec and the coefficient of variation (CV) of concentration was 3.2%.