ABSTRACT
This paper presents a numerical and experimental study of spray fluid performance with stirring in tanks of agricultural sprayers. The pesticide spray should be stirred properly to ensure spraying homogeneity throughout the entire crop. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using computer models in pesticide spray stirring and, thus, reducing operational time and costs. Therefore, results of computer simulations of fluid dynamics (CFD) were compared to standard experimental tests. We evaluated shear stress and speed profiles against tank wall using a monophasic model (water). Thus, we could verify the fluid performance during stirring, and relate these variables with residue concentrations. The comparison between experimental and computational model was feasible since areas with lower numerical values of shear stress were in line with areas with high copper deposition.
tank stirring; farm spraying; computational fluid dynamics
