A comparison of the drift potential of a novel twin fluid nozzle with conventional low volume flat fan nozzles when using a range of adjuvants

• Published in: Crop protection 1996-03, Vol.15 (2), p.147-152
• Main Authors: Combellack, J.H., Westen, N.M., Richardson, R.G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adjuvants; nozzles; spray drifts
• ISSN: 0261-2194; 1873-6904
• DOI: 10.1016/0261-2194(95)00089-5

Spray drift from a novel twin fluid nozzle and low volume hydraulic pressure flat-fan nozzles has been measured in a wind tunnel. At a wind speed of 4.2 m s −1, drift from the twin fluid nozzle, spraying a range of adjuvants increased with decreasing flow rate. Emulsifiable oil adjuvants produced less drift than an ethoxylated alcohol surfactant, in general agreement with data on in-flight droplet spectra. Comparing drift between the twin fluid nozzle and the flat fan nozzles at a constant flow rate of 600 ml min −1 showed that drift from the former was intermediate between standard and low-drift nozzles. Drift increased with increasing spray release height, but for the twin fluid nozzle at 400 ml min −1 at 50 cm was smaller than that from the same nozzle atomising 150 ml min −1 at a height of 35 cm. Air inclusions in droplets from the twin fluid nozzles did not influence drift. The need for a technique to measure the mass of droplets containing air inclusions is highlighted and the method of plotting drift at variable wind speeds is discussed.