CLOGGING PROCESSES OF IRRIGATION EMITTERS ORIGINATED BY SOLID PARTICLES

• Grant number: 15/19630-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: February 01, 2016
• End date: January 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agricultural Engineering - Soil and Water Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Jose Antonio Frizzone
• Grantee: Jose Antonio Frizzone
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Antonio Pires de Camargo ; Bruno Molle ; Ezequiel Saretta ; Luciano Mateos Íñiguez ; Nassim Ait Mouheb ; Séverine Tomas

Abstract

Drip irrigation is potentially the best irrigation technique in terms of water use efficiency. However, emitters' clogging is a major problem in microirrigation that can cancel out potential benefits that could be provided by such type of irrigation systems. Clogging problems are caused by individual or combined effects of physical, chemical and biological agents. Although microirrigation systems possibly could be used for 10 years or more, its lifespan generally varies from 3 to 5 years according to irrigation water quality. Usually clogging problems results from insufficient filtration, inappropriate chemical treatment of water or infrequent flushing/maintenance routines. Even though, such problems may not be fully prevented only by maintenance routines, hence emitters' geometries less sensitive to clogging are preferable. Solid particles suspended in irrigation water are the most common form of emitters' plugging and the scenario can be worse in case of fertigation uses without appropriate countermeasures. Emitters' clogging may occur as a complete and sudden phenomenon, which is associated with relatively large particles that escaped filtration or that resulted from aggregation. Alternatively, it may be caused by a slow accumulation or sedimentation of particles. Although clay particles are apparently small to plug emitters, depending on the physical-chemical and hydrodynamic conditions, aggregation of fine particles may occur after filtration devices resulting in clogging of emitters. Indeed, both water quality and geometry of emitters are prime aspects to clogging processes. Such processes are highly complex and the available background related to this subject is still incipient. The understanding of clogging processes is essential to propose solutions intending to prolong the lifespan of microirrigation systems. Testing protocols for assessment of emitters' sensitivity to clogging are required and they must take into account predominant factors of clogging processes in order to reproduce field conditions in which the material really operates. Likewise, the testing methodologies and facilities must ensure repeatability and reproducibility of results. The only reference currently available for evaluating the sensitivity of emitters to clogging is a ISO draft proposed by IRSTEA (France), which is being discussed in the committee ISO/TC 23/SC 18. Research activities related to clogging processes have been developed by Laboratório de Ensaios de Material de Irrigação (LEMI/INCT-EI/ESALQ/USP) since 2005 and by Laboratoire d'Études et Recherches sur les Matériels d'Irrigation (LERMI/IRSTEA, France) since 2000. This project is opportune and it will accelerate the understanding of clogging processes complexity and consequently, contributions to prolong the lifespan of microirrigation systems are expected outcomes. In addition, the obtained results will be useful to define testing protocols by the mentioned ISO committee. Finally, the project has the following objectives: (1) to study clogging processes associated with inert (silica) and non-inert (clay) solid particles to obtain advanced understanding about this nature of clogging problems; (2) to evaluate the performance of the clogging test protocol adopted by the French laboratory; (3) to improve or propose a clogging test protocol for evaluating the sensitivity of emitters to clogging caused by solid particles. (AU)

Scientific publications

(4)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DE OLIVEIRA, FABRICIO CORREIA; LAVANHOLI, ROGERIO; DE CAMARGO, ANTONIO PIRES; AIT-MOUHEB, NASSIM; FRIZZONE, JOSE ANTONIO; TOMAS, SEVERINE; MOLLE, BRUNO. Clogging of drippers caused by suspensions of kaolinite and montmorillonite clays. IRRIGATION SCIENCE, OCT 2019. (15/19630-0, 18/20099-5)

LAVANHOLI, ROGERIO; DE CAMARGO, ANTONIO PIRES; AVILA BOMBARDELLI, WAGNER WILSON; FRIZZONE, JOSE A.; AIT-MOUHEB, NASSIM; DA SILVA, ERIC ALBERTO; DE OLIVEIRA, FABRICIO CORREIA. Prediction of Pressure-Discharge Curves of Trapezoidal Labyrinth Channels from Nonlinear Regression and Artificial Neural Networks. JOURNAL OF IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE ENGINEERING, v. 146, n. 8, AUG 1 2020. (15/19630-0, 18/20099-5)

DE SOUSA PEREIRA, DIEGO JOSE; LAVANHOLI, ROGERIO; DE ARAUJO, ANA C. S.; DE CAMARGO, ANTONIO P.; AIT-MOUHEB, NASSIM; FRIZZONE, JOSE A.; MOLLE, BRUNO. Evaluating Sensitivity to Clogging by Solid Particles in Irrigation Emitters: Assessment of a Laboratory Protocol. JOURNAL OF IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE ENGINEERING, v. 146, n. 11, NOV 1 2020. (15/19630-0, 18/20099-5)

DE OLIVEIRA, FABRICIO CORREIA; LAVANHOLI, ROGERIO; DE CAMARGO, ANTONIO PIRES; AIT-MOUHEB, NASSIM; FRIZZONE, JOSE ANTONIO; TOMAS, SEVERINE; MOLLE, BRUNO. Clogging of drippers caused by suspensions of kaolinite and montmorillonite clays. IRRIGATION SCIENCE, v. 38, n. 1, p. 11-pg., 2019-10-10. (18/20099-5, 15/19630-0)