TKP3501

Farm Mechanization
& Irrigation

Topic :
Sprinkler Irrigation

Dr. Wan Fazilah Fazlil Ilahi

Email: wanfazilah@upm.edu.my
 Learning outcomes

 Student will be able to classify the sprinkler irrigation

system.
 Student will be able to understand the operation and
layout of a sprinkler irrigation system.
 Student will be able to know and select the appropriate
pumping system for irrigation.
Irrigation Methods
Irrigation

Surface Subsurface Micro

irrigation irrigation irrigation

Sprinkler

Drip
irrigation
Flooding Contour Farming Furrow
Sprinkler Irrigation

Other names for sprinkler irrigation:

• Overhead irrigation
• Pressurized irrigation systems
 Sprinkler Irrigation Systems

Advantages and applications

Replacing gravity irrigation when?

• Important topographical irregularities [steep and rolling
topography]
• Soil characteristics [high infiltration rates and or low soil
moisture holding capacity: frequent watering by irrigations].
• Water shortage: high irrigation efficiencies and minimizing
water requirements
• Automation/minimizing labor costs
Special applications are:
• frost – freeze protection
• blossom delay
• crop cooling
Disadvantages:
• High costs
• Use of saline water or high levels of bicarbonates
leaving spots on leaves and fruit
• Water that contains corrosive salts to metal pipes
(PVC or HDPE can be used)

Not applicable to:

• Soils with an intake rate of less than 3 mm/hr
• Areas with excessive dry conditions and strong
winds (high losses through evaporation)
• Too irregular topography resulting in field shapes
other than rectangular, especially for mechanized
sprinkler systems.
 Types of Sprinkler Irrigation System

On the basis of lateral lines arrangement for

spraying irrigation water, sprinkler systems are
classified as:
• Set systems: sprinklers remain at a fixed position
(not moving during irrigation) but they are
periodically moved.
• Continuous-move systems (sprinklers operate while
the system is slowly moving)
 SET SYSTEMS:

1) Hand-move lateral system

2) Towed lateral system

3) Side-roll lateral sprinkler system

4) Side-move laterals

5) Gun and boom sprinklers

6) Fixed Sprinkler systems

(permanent system)
CONTINUOUSLY MOVING SYSTEMS:

1) Travelling sprinkler

2) Center Pivot
Center Pivot System
Parts of an Sprinkler irrigation system

• Sprinklers
• Sprinkler lines or laterals
• Main and sub-mains
• Pumps and installed power (hp)
• Appendages :
pressure regulators, screens, valves, flow
meters, vacuum breaker, air- and pressure relief
valves, Tee’s, bends etc
 Types of Sprinkler

• On the basis of arrangement for spraying

irrigation water, sprinkler systems are classified
as:
1. Rotating head system
2. Perforated pipe system
Types of rotating head sprinklers:
 IMPACT SPRINKLERS

Two-nozzle, bronze impact sprinkler

Range (Drive) Nozzle

ImpactArm
Trajectory
Angle Spreader Nozzle

Bearing
Pop-up, part-circle impact
sprinkler head
 Gear-driven rotors (rotary heads)

• Water moving through the

sprinkler spins a turbine, this
turns a set of gears, which turn
the nozzle.
• Typically used in large, open
turf/landscape areas.
• Can be a pop-up.
 SPRINKLER PERFORMANCE

1) Diameter of Coverage:
➢ Maximum diameter wetted by the sprinkler at a rate
that is significant for the intended use
➢ Depends on operating pressure and sprinkler and
nozzle design (including trajectory angle)
2) Sprinkler distribution for at different operating pressure
3) Overlapped sprinkler
4) Wind problem
SPRINKLER DISTRIBUTION AT DIFFERENT
OPERATING PRESSURE
Overlapped Sprinklers

Uniform Application:
Overlap  50% of sprinkler
wetted diameter

Non-uniformApplication:
Overlap << 50% of
sprinkler wetted diameter
Wind problem
❑ Layout:-

• Depends on the slope and size of the farm

and location of water source
• Economical when source of water is at the
center of the area
• Distance between laterals = 12m

• Distance between 2 sprinklers = 12m

Basic scheme for sprinkler Irrigation System

pump

Lateral

sprinklers
❑ Water application rate:-

• Less than the infiltration capacity of the soil to be

irrigated
• Depends on nature of soil, crop and topography

• Varies from 0.25 cm/hr for clay to 5.5 cm/hr for very light
soils
• Application rate= (Discharge(lps)* 282.6)/(spacing

of sprinkler(m)* spacing of laterals(m))

❑ Water application in each irrigation:-
• Determined by using not more than 50% available
moisture in the soil
• Area to be irrigated depends on type & pattern of
sprinkler
and operating pressure adopted

❑ Sprinkler losses:-

• Depends on wind velocity, temperature, fineness of spray,

humidity, soil texture and vegetation cover
❑ Capacity of the system:-

• To meet the peak demand of the area under crops during the
hottest and driest periods
• Capacity of pipe system depends on the rate of application of
water and the area to be irrigated in one setting

• System capacity, Q= (A*D*27.8)/(I*H*E)

Q→ Discharge (lps)
A→ Area(ha)
D→ Depth of water application(cm)
I→ Interval between successive irrigation (days)
H→ Operating hours (hr/day)
E→ Field application efficiency
❑ Main and lateral pipe sizes:-

• Determined by the maximum rate of flow and nature and

length of pipes involved
• Variation of pressure in the lateral, due to friction loss =

20% of operating head

❑ Pumping unit:-

• Selection of the pumping set is made from the

characteristic curve of the pump set supplied by the
manufacturer
❑ Discharge of sprinkler:-

•Discharge of a sprinkler, Q= (Sl*Sm*R)/360,l/s

Sl = Spacing (m) of sprinkler along laterals
Sm = Spacing (m) of laterals along the mains
R = Optimum application rate (cm/hr)

•Discharge of sprinkler nozzle, q= Ca√ (2gH), m3/s

C = Coefficient of discharge
A = Sectional area of the nozzle (m2)
H = Pressure head of nozzle (m)
• Water spread of sprinkler, R= 1.35 √ (dH)

R = Radius of the wetted area covered by sprinkler (m)

d = Diameter of nozzle (m)
H = Pressure head at nozzle (m)
Exercise:
Determine the capacity of a sprinkler which have
a spacing of 12 x 18 m and an application rate of
10 mm/hr?
Solution:

Use equation discharge of a sprinkler:

Q = (Sl*Sm*R)/360, lps
= (12m * 18m * 1cm/hr)/360
= 0.6 L/s
Pumps and Pumping

• Irrigation pumps lift water from an existing

source, such as surface or groundwater to a
higher level.
• They have to overcome friction losses during
transport of the water and provide pressure for
sprinkler and drip irrigation.
• Irrigation pumps are mechanical devices which
use energy from electrical or combustion motors
to increase the potential and (or) kinetic energy
of the irrigation water.
 Water Pumps

• Water pumps are devices designed to convert

mechanical energy to hydraulic energy. All forms
of water pumps may be classified into two basic
categories:
– turbo-hydraulic pumps (Rotodynamics pump),
– positive-displacement pumps.
• Turbo-hydraulic pumps are:
– centrifugal pumps,
– Propeller pumps
• Analysis of turbo-hydraulic pumps:
is a problem involving fundamental principles of
hydraulics.
• Positive-displacement pumps:
move fluid strictly by precise machine
displacements such as a gear system rotating
within a closed housing (screw pumps) or a
piston moving in a sealed cylinder (reciprocal
pumps).

• Analysis of positive-displacement pumps

involves purely mechanical concepts and does
not require detailed knowledge of hydraulics.
 Centrifugal pump

Rotary pump

Reciprocating
pump
 Centrifugal Pumps

• Modern centrifugal pumps basically consist of

two parts:-
– 1. the rotating element ( commonly called the
impeller);
– 2. the housing that encloses the rotating
element and seals the pressurized liquid
inside.
• The power is supplied by a motor to the shaft of
the impeller.
 Centrifugal Pump
Shaft Frame Impeller Discharge Inlet

Stuffing Balance Volute Wearing

Box Line Rings
• The rotary motion of the impeller creates a
centrifugal force that enables the liquid to enter
the pump at the low-pressure region near the
center (eye} of the impeller and to move along the
direction of the impeller vanes toward the higher-
pressure region near the outside of the housing
surrounding the impeller.
• The housing is designed with a gradually
expanding spiral shape so that the entering liquid
is led toward the discharge pipe with minimum
loss while the kinetic energy in the liquid is
converted into pressure energy.
 Pump Selection
• The efficiency of a pump depends on:
– the discharge, head, and power requirement of the pump.
• The approximate ranges of application of each type of
pump are indicated in Figure 5.8.
• The total head that the pump delivers its discharge
against includes the elevation head and the head losses
incurred in the system.
• The friction loss and other minor losses in the pipeline
depend on:
– the velocity of water in the pipe,
– and the total head loss can be related to the discharge rate.
 Pump Selection
• When selecting a suitable pump, it is necessary to determine the
maximum total head against which the pump is working.
Ht = Hn + Hm + Hj + Hs
Where, Ht = total design head against which pump is working,
Hn = maximum head required at the main to operate the
sprinkler/drip on the lateral at the required average
pressure, including the riser head,
Hm = maximum friction loss in the main, the suction line, and
NPSH (net positive suction head) of the pump,
Hj = elevation difference between the pump and the junction
of the lateral and the main,
Hs = elevation difference between the pump and the water
supply after drawdown.
*all units in m or kPa
 Question/ Review

• What is the main factor influencing the water

distribution from the emitters/sprinkler
nozzles?
THANK YOU