A

PROJECT REPORT
ON
“MODIFICATION AND TESTING OF SOLAR POWERED SPRAYER”
Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN

AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING
BY

Mohd Arslan 17BTAG085

Ravin Singh 17BTAG107
Alok Kumar Mishra 17BTAG115
Under the guidance of
Prof. (Dr.) S. C. Moses
Assistant Proffesor

DEPARTMENT OF FARM POWER AND MACHINERY

VAUGH INSTITUTE OF AGRICULTURE ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
SAM HIGGINBOTTOM UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, TECHNOLOGY AND
SCIENCES
(FORMERLY ALLAHABAD AGRICULTURE INSTITUTE)
PRAYAGRAJ – 211007, U.P.
 ABSTRACT
India is an agriculture based country. Agriculture has a significant role in the
socio-economic fabric of India. An Engineer is always focus on development
and reduction in human efforts. So many inventions and development have
been done in different fields including machinery, constructions,
nanotechnology etc. It is now important to focus on agriculture field.
Machine becomes an integral part of human being. Automation helps to give
high production rate than manual production rate in the competition
market. Engineer accepts the challenges and make the design into reality.
“Solar operated pesticide sprayer is one of the best innovative product that
reduces human efforts. It is actually physical design that show how sprayer
uses solar energy instead of conventional energy to spray pesticide on crops.
The experimental result shows that the theoretical analysis is approximately
same and valid for the prototype as per given specifications. It reduces up to
30-40% of total cost.
 CONTENTS

Particulars Page No.

Abstract
Declaration
Acknowledgement
Contents
List of Figures
List of Abbreviations

Chapter No. Particulars Page No.

1. Introduction

2. Literature Survey
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Toady India rank second worldwide in farm output. Agriculture like forestry
and fisheries accounted for 13.7% of the GDP (gross domestic product) in
2013, about 50% of the workforce. The economic contribution ofagriculture
to India's GDP is steadily declining with the country's broad-based economic
growth. Still, agriculture is demographically the broadest economic sector
and plays a significant role in the overall socio-economic fabric of India. So,
increase the productivity is main aim of the pesticides. Proper techniques of
application of pesticide and equipment used in applying pesticides are vital
to the success of the productivity.
Due to chemical fertilizers the fertility of soil is decreasing. Hence farmers
are attracted towards organic farming. By mechanization in spraying devices
fertilizers and pesticides are distributed equally on the farm and reduce the
quantity of waste, which results in prevention of losses and wastage of input
applied to farm. It will reduce the cost of production. Mechanization gives
higher productivity in minimum input. Farmers are using same traditional
methods for spraying fertilizers and pesticides. Equipment is also the same
for ages. In India there is a large development in industrial sectors compared
to agricultural sectors. Conventionally the spraying is done by labours
carrying backpack sprayer and fertilizers are sprayed manually. The efforts
required are more and beneficial by farmers having small farming land.
Mechanization gives higher productivity in minimum input. Farmers are
using same traditional methods for spraying fertilizers and pesticides.
Equipment is also the same for ages. In India there is a large development in
industrial sectors compared to agricultural sectors. Conventionally the
spraying is done by labours carrying backpack sprayer and fertilizers are
sprayed manually. Generally mechanization of small forms are very difficult
and non-affordable. Demand for agriculture is rising rapidly with increase in
population and per capital income and growing demand from industry
sector. There is, thus, an urgent need to identify severity of problem
confronting agriculture sector to restore its vitality.
In this agriculture sector there is a lot of field work, such as weeding,
reaping, sowing etc. Apart from these operations, spraying is also an
important operation to be performed by the farmer to protect the cultivated
crops from insects, pests, funguses and diseases for which various
insecticides, pesticides, fungicides and nutrients are sprayed on crops for
protection. Farming has undergone a great evolution in last 50 years. Out of
the various reasons involved for this evolution is control of various diseases
on crops. In the modern agriculture, the usage of pesticides is still increasing
moreover the 90% of these pesticides are being applied in the form of
spraying which will maintain environment friendly approach. The argument
for using existing conventional equipment is that farmers will face economic
difficulties in case of chemical and electrical powered pumps as well as they
will face health issues in case of hand operated pumps. One way to
overcome this problem is to use the equipment developed for application of
the pesticides through the use of mechanical power. In selecting a pump
forfurnishing a supply of pesticides for farm use, or for spraying insecticides,
herbicides or fungicides, we must be sure it is designed for the job to be
done. The unit should have sufficient capacity to supply the needed amount
of water and spray material in the allowable time.
The farmers who use these types conventional backpack sprayer face many
problems like fatigue, tiredness, pain in spinal cord and muscles etc.
Following problems can take place by use of this conventional type of
sprayer.
 Heavy weight of sprayer makes the sprayer to lift manually.
 The operator may feel fatigue and tiredness due to heavy weight
which will eventually reduce his efficiency of working.
 High fuel costs and unavailability of electricity in rural villages.
 Large size of pump causes inconvenience to the operator.
 These problems combined with the lack of awareness, technical
knowledge and poormaintenance leads to damage to health of the
operator and to the environment.
The project is a Solar Powered Pesticide/Fertilizer Sprayer mounted on a Cart
which is operated mechanically without any external source of energy. The
aim of developing such a concept is primarily because of preventing the 4
major drawbacks of the pump being used currently; First, the farmer has to
carry the entire weight of the pesticide spraying (approx. 20+ kg) pump on
his shoulder; second, he has to continuously use his one hand to pump using
the handle; third, reduction in spraying time and fourth is to promote
renewable energy in agricultural fields. All these factors have been taken
care of in this project along with being cost effective, light in weight and
good in strength.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has defined pesticide as:
Any substance
ormixtureofsubstancesintendedforpreventing,destroying,orcontrollinga
nypest,includingvectors of human or animal disease, unwanted species
of plants or animals, causing harmduring or otherwise interfering with the
production, processing, storage, transport, or marketingof food, agricultural
commodities, wood and wood products or animal feedstuffs, or
substancesthatmaybeadministered
toanimalsforthecontrolofinsects,arachnids,orotherpestsinoron their
bodies. The term includes substances intended for use as a plant growth
regulator,defoliant,desiccant,oragentforthinningfruitorpreventingthepr
ematurefalloffruit.Alsoused as substances applied to crops either before
or after harvest to protect the commodity
fromdeteriorationduringstorageandtransport.

SprayingMethods :

Theobjectiveofsprayingistodeliveraneffective,uniformdoseofproductto
atargetareaina safe and timely manner [1]. The most common type of
pesticide sprayers used are MechanicalSprayers.
BackpackSprayers

Fig.2.1.1.Backpacksprayer.
Manuallyoperated,tankcapacityis15litres,mechanicalorhydraulicagitati
on,workedwitha hand lever to maintain constant pressure, particularly
used for spot treatment by small
holdingfarmerandhandtreatment[1].Equippedwithaboom.Itisgoodforbl
anketapplication.
Hydraulic sprayers consist of a tank, a pump, a lance (for single nozzles) or
boom, and a
nozzle(ormultiplenozzles).Sprayersconvertapesticideformulation,often
containingamixtureofwater(oranotherliquidchemicalcarrier,suchasfertil
izer)andchemical,intodroplets,whichcan be large rain-type drops or tiny
almost-invisible particles. This conversion is
accomplishedbyforcingthespraymixturethrough
aspraynozzleunderpressure.Thesizeofdropletscanbealteredthroughthe
useofdifferentnozzlesizes,orbyalteringthepressureunderwhichitis
forced, or a combination of both. Large droplets have the advantage of
being less
susceptibletospraydrift,butrequiremorewaterperunitoflandcovered.Du
etostaticelectricity,smalldroplets are able to maximize contact with a
target organism, but very still wind conditions
arerequired.But,inthistypeofspraying,thelabourhastocarryalltheweight
ofthepesticidesfilledtankwhichcausesfatiguetolabourandhencereduces
thehumancapacity.
Drawbacks:Thesesprayersaremountedonthebackofaman.Onehandtolev
ersprays
0.4ha/dayandwithaboom0.8ha/day.Itisahighvolumespraybutlowvolum
enozzlescanalsobefitted.Spraypotentialis12kg/cm2.Itissprayedat3to4kg/c
m2topreventspraydrift.

TractorMountedSprayers
 Fig.2.1.2.TractorMountedsprayer.

With spray pressure of 1.4 to 2.8 kg/cm2 and fitted with multi nozzle
boom, they are very usefulin CPP application for large holding of farmers
[1]. Tractor mounted sprayer fitted with
boomsareusedtosprayroadsidevegetation.Tractorrunsprayershave :

• Highuniformityofsprayers.
• Highworkingefficiency.
• Fullutilizationoftractorduringidletime.

AerialSprayers

Aerialapplication,orwhatwasformerlyreferredtoascropdusting,involves
sprayingcropswithcropprotectionproductsfromanagriculturalaircraft[1]
.Plantingcertaintypesofseedare also included in aerial application. The
specific spreading of fertilizer is also known
asaerialtopdressinginsomecountries.Manycountrieshaveseverelylimite
daerialapplicationof pesticides and other products because of
environmental and public health hazards like spraydrift.
Agricultural aircraft are highly specialized, purpose-built aircraft. Today's
agricultural aircraftare often powered by turbine engines of up to 1500 hp
and can carry as much as 800 US
gallons(3,000l)ofcropprotectionproduct.Helicoptersaresometimesused,
andsomeaircraftservedouble duty as water bombers in areas prone to
wildfires. (These aircraft are referred to asSEAT,"singleengine
 airtankers").

Fig.2.1.3.Aerialspraying.

2.1.4 FootOperatedSprayer

Foot operated sprayers [1] are suitable for both small and large spraying
operation on cropsand plantations. The sprayer has two discharge
outlets and it develops sufficient pressure
tooperatewithtwodischargeline.Theequipmentissuppliedwith8mlongdel
iveryhoseand2meter long suction hose with strainer. The sprayer is less
in weight and easy to move. Itspotential spray pressure is 17 to 21 kg/cm 2
output and with lance is 1 ha/ day. It can spray highvolumesprayandcovers
morearea.
Insectsandweedsarelargelyresponsibleforthecropdestruction.Inmodern
horticultureandagriculture,insecticides/pesticides,amanmadeornaturalp
reparationareusedtokillinsectsor otherwise control their reproduction.
These herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers are appliedto agricultural crops
with the help of a special device known as a "Sprayer." Sprayers
arecommonly used on farms to spray pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and
defoliants as a
meansofcropqualitycontrol.Toproducemoreoutputfromthefarm,mechan
izingtheequipmentisnecessary. It gives more productivity in less input.
Mechanization reduces the efforts of
laboursandhelpstouniformlyspraythefertilizersandpesticidesalloverthefa
rm.
Fig.2.1.4.FootOperatedsprayer.
 Existingpesticidesprayers

Theremanytypesofpesticidesprayersavailableinthemarket.Dependingont
hecrops,areaofthefarm,typeofpesticideandcostofthesprayer,thepesticid
esprayersarechosen.Someofthemostwidelyusedpesticidesprayersareasf
ollows.

ManuallyOperatedSprayers

CompressionSprayer

Fig.2.2.1.1.Compressionsprayer.

Usually considered as the standard equipment [2] for residual spraying. It

consists of a tank
forholdingaliquidinsecticideformulation,whichcanbepressurizedbymea
nsofahandpumpattached to it. The compressed air forces the liquid from
the tank via a hose with a cut off
valve,alanceandanozzle.Itconsistsoffollowingmainparts.
• Thetank:Itisusuallymadeofstainlesssteel.Mosttankshavefouropen
ingsontop;a large one for filling, fitted with a removable cover
and openings for the air
pump,dischargesystemandpressuregauge.
• Thetankcover:Itconsistsofarubbergasket,ahandle,aPRV,operated
byhandorbygivingthehandleaquarterturn,achaintopreventthecov
erfrombeinglost.
• Anairpressuregauge:Itisusedtomeasurepressureinthetank.
• The shoulder strap: It should be wide enough to prevent it from
cutting into theshoulder of the person using the sprayer It is
 fastened to the tank with steel buckles.
Advantages:
• Lowprice.
• Convenientmaintenance.
• Highefficiency.
• Continuousoperation.
• Lowpriceofaccessories.
Limitations:
• Lowefficiency.
• Highlabourintensityisnotsuitableforlargeareaoperation.
• Leakagemayariseleadingtodirectcontactwiththepesticideliquid.
• Repairrateishigh.

HI-TECHSprayer

Itisrecommendedas“Mostefficientandcomfortablesprayer.”Itisergonomi
callydesignedand has a capacity up to 16 litres. Its pump is centrally placed
outside the tank and has smallerpiston diameter, which is easy for
operation as balance is perfectly maintained. It has adjustableshoulder
straps which helps to operate it to right or left. The overall construction is
very strongandeasyinoperation.

Fig.2.2.1.2.HI-TECHsprayer.
 RockerSprayer

Fig.2.2.1.3.Rockersprayer.

TheRockersprayerhasapumpassembly,fixedonawoodenplatformwithanope
ratinglever,avalveassemblywithtwoballvalvesapressurechamber,asucti
onhosewithstrainerandadeliveryhosewithspraylance[3].
When the plunger is pulled behind, the spray fluid from the container
is sucked through thestrainer and pushes the bottom ball valve above
and enters the pump. The movement of thelower ball valve is arrested
by the upper valve seat. When the lever is pushed towards the
pump,thesuckedfluidisforcedtoenterthepressurechamberbyopeningth
eupperballvalve.Theoperation is continued till the entire suction pipe,
ball valve assembly, delivery hose and
aportionofpressurevesselisfittedwithsprayfluidandthepumpoperatorfin
dsitdifficulttopush the piston forward, due to the downward pressure
developed by the entrapped compressedair in the pressure vessel.
Thereafter, the trigger cut-off valve will be opened to allow the
sprayfluidtorushthroughthenozzleandgetatomized.
Usually, 60-80 psi pressure can be built in the pressure chamber and
hence can be convenientlyusedfortreespraying.
 Stirrup/BucketSprayer

Fig.2.2.1.4.Stirrupsprayer.

TheStirrupsprayer[3]isdesignedtopumpthesprayfluiddirectlyfrom,theo
pencontainer,usuallythroughabucket.Thehydraulicpumpwillbeputinsid
ethebucketandheldproperlywiththehelpoffootrest.
Astheplungerispulledup,thefluidentersthroughthesuctionballvalveasse
mblyandwhenthe plunger is pressed down, the suction valve closes and
the fluid enters the pressure
chamberthroughaballvalveassembly.Astheplungeriscontinuouslyworke
d,pressureisbuiltinthepressure chamber and the delivery hose. As soon
as the required pressure is built up, thesprayingactionoccurs.
Stirrupsprayersdevelop30-40psipressure.

NurserySprayer

Fig.2.2.1.5.Nurserysprayer.
It has a hydraulic pump inside the container, with cylinder, plunger
and a plunger rod.
Byoperatingplungerup,thesprayfluidinthecontainerissuckedintothecylin
derthroughaballvalve assembly and then pressurized during the
downward stroke. The pressurized fluid is
thenletthroughanozzleandsprayedintofinedroplets.
These are small, simple sprayers. Generally recommended for use in a
nursery or
privategarden.Theyproduceafinemistsprayandcanbeeffortlesslyoperat
ed.
PowerOperatedSprayers

Various power-operated sprayers are available and range in size from

small, hand-carriedengine-driven pump units to large self-propelled
sprayers. Some of the power operated sprayersareasfollows.
KnapsackPowerSprayer

Fig.2.2.2.1Knapsackpowersprayer.

Knapsack Power Sprayers [4] are easy to use and highly durable.
Designed in sync with theindustrial standards, these sprayers are
immensely used for garden spraying - weed, pestcontrol, liquid
fertilizing and plant leaf polishing. General Technical Specifications are
asfollows.
• Sprayingcapacity:8litres/min
• Capacityofchemicaltank:25litres
• Capacityoffueltank:1.1litres
• Netweight:10.5kg
 • Enginetype:2stroke

However,therearecertainlimitationsofthissprayer.Theyare,

• Heavyinweight
• Servicelifeislow
• Initialcostishigh
• Complicatedmaintenance
• Pollutesenvironment
• Certainpartscangetcorroded

MotorizedKnapsackMist-blowercumDuster

Fig.2.2.2.2.MotorizedKnapsackMist-blowercumDuster

This sprayer cum duster [4] is fitted with a 2-stroke air cooled engine
of 35-70 cc capacity,connected to a centrifugal fan by a direct drive.
The spray liquid is first pressurized by airgeneratedbytheblower.
Thisaircurrentachievesavelocityofover275kmphatthenozzleandsprayst
hechemicalinfineparticlesthatcanbemeasuredinmicrons.Thenozzledesi
gnenablesevensprayingatmaximumefficiency.
Whendusting,theairblastentersthetankfromanairinlet,whichisconnecte
dtoatubewithseveralholesonitssurface.Thisagitatesthepowder,whichist
henthrustoutbythevelocityoftheaircomingoutoftheblower,throughthep
leatedhoseandoutthroughnozzle.
HydraulicSprayer

Fig.2.2.2.3.Hydraulicsprayer.

Hydraulic sprayers [5] may be engine or electric motor driven and are
available with
single,doubleandtriplepistonpumps.Thesinglepistonpumpdevelopsama
ximumpressureof150psi, whereas the double and triple piston pump
develops 300-400 psi. Only two discharge linescan be used with the
single piston pump, whereas the double and triple piston pumps
canaccommodate4–6dischargelines.
The operation is by means of 1 – 2 HP electric motor or 2 – 3 HP petrol,
petrol-kerosene
ordieselengine.Thesesprayerscanalsobedrivenbyapowertillerortractor.
BoomSprayer

Fig.2.2.2.4.Boomsprayer.

These apply the spray liquid through nozzles which are normally
directed downwards andmounted on a horizontal structure (boom) and
are generally used to spray low-growing arable(field) crops and weeds.
Some models employ air to aid downward penetration of droplets
intolow-growingcerealsand othercrops.

ElectrostaticSprayer

Fig.2.2.2.5.Electrostaticsprayer.

Thesprayerconsistsofbatteryoperatedmotorwithaspinningdisc,aliquidtank,
ahandleandasetofbatteries[6].
In this process, a free charge flows to the plant in response to the
presence of an electrical field,which is created by a charged cloud. The
surface charge is of the opposite polarity to thecharged cloud and has a
magnitude and distribution that maintains the plant at ground
potentialinthepresenceofthechargedcloud.
The most commonly used version of this new system is the hand-held
Electrodyn Sprayer,which atomises and propels charged droplets by
means of electrical forces set up between
ahighvoltage,positivelychargednozzle,thedropletsandtheearthedcrop.T
heformulationisfed by gravity to the nozzle where it picks up a high
voltage charge. The formulation then
formsanumberofuniformligaments,whichinturnarebrokenupintoelectric
allychargeddroplets.Thesedropletsareofuniformsizeandmutuallyrepell
entandformatenacious,evencoatingalloverthecrop,includingstemsandu
ndersidesofleaves.Nomechanicalenergyisrequiredat the nozzle to
induce droplet formation; neither are compressors or centrifugal
energyemployed,sothewholesystemworkswithoutmovingparts.
 AirlessSprayer

Fig.2.2.2.6.Airlesssprayer.

Airless spray systems atomize coating by forcing a fluid through a small

orifice at highpressure. They are prized for their high reduction rates that
can exceed 2 gallons per minute forlarger models [7]. Airless sprayers
provide pressure from a diaphragm or piston pump
unitdrivenbyanelectric,gasoline,orairpowermotors.
Somemodelsuseahydraulicdrivenpumppoweredbyelectricityorgasolinepo
wer.Thehoseisanintegralpartofthesystem.Itsexpansionandcontractionp
rovidevolumetriccushioningof the fluid to provide steady paint flow at
the tip. It also conducts static electricity build
upbacktothesprayerwhereitcanbegrounded.
Two things primarily determine the capacity of an airless sprayer:
Horsepower and valveOpenings. Many companies use one pump on a
variety of models. The difference comes fromthe motor and power train
with changes in horsepower or motor type. Bigger pumps
havebiggervalvesandbiggervalvesmeanmoreheavilyfluidscanpassthrou
gh.
One of the most important rules with airless sprayers is to keep the
pump clean. A dirty orrusted piston pump will quickly destroy itself by
eroding its pickings, rod, cylinder and orvalves. Greco sprayers are
some of the best known on the market. They have a selection
ofpumpsthatfilljustabouteverynicheonecanthinkofforsprayingliquidcoating
s.Theirrecent
homeowner line, the "Magnum" series is an attempt to bring piston
pump sprayers to thehomeowner/DIY buyer. These are different than
their professional equipment because they
aremadewithlessdurablematerialsandasportonlyasingleactionpump.
They feature some of the desirable properties of their larger brethren
such as upright carts,
hosereelonthehandle,manifoldfiltersetc.However,muchofthisislightduty
fromausagepointofviewandthesewerenotmadeforcontinuoususe.Infac
t,partsfortheMagnumseriesarelimitedwithpumprepackkitsnotmadeata
ll.
Stronger motors can push higher loads of paint through larger orifices and
increase productionfor professional users. Bigger pumps with larger
valves are required for heavier viscosityliquids or for fulfilling the needs
of large volume users and these take bigger and bigger
motors.Sprayerscanbepoweredwithelectric,gasoline,hydraulicorairmot
ors.
The professional painting contractor usually uses portable electric
motor equipment but forareas where electricity may not be available
such as on large warehouse projects, high rises, ornew construction,
gasoline power is preferred. Air motors are typically used inside factories
orshopapplicationwherelargecompressorscankeepthemgoingwithoutth
reatoffireorheatbuild-
up.Hydraulicunitsarepoweredbygasolineorelectricmotorsbutproducem
orepowerin a more compact design with less wear than if an equivalent
electric or gas motor. Of course,the hydraulics adds complexity to the
overall package and cost at the time of
purchase.Specialtyunitsincludetexturesprayersforapplicationofwallfinis
hessuchasspattercoatorknockdown. These combine a specialty pump
designed for heavy liquids and an air
compressortospraythematerialonthewall.
CHAPTER III
WORKING PRINCIPLE
The block diagram of proposed system is as shown in Figure below. It mainly
consists of four units namely: energy conversion,storage, DC drive and
sprayer. The details of each unit are discussed as follows.The first unit of
proposed system is energy conversion unit.

Fig.2.2.2.7.Block diagram of developed Solar Sprayer

The energy conversion can be done by two modes such as direct supply
mode and solar energy mode. In case of direct supply mode, the single phase
Alternating Current (A.C) supply was converted into Direct Current (D.C)
supply with the help of full wave bridge rectifier which consist a step down
transformer and diodes in star connection. 230 volts A.C. supply is converted
into 12 volts A.C. and then diode converts it into D.C. supply. This can be
used, wherever thesolar energy is not available i.e. during rain and cloudy
weather conditions. In case of solar energy mode, solar energy obtained by
the sun is converted into electrical energy using solar panel by photovoltaic
effect and stored in the battery. The output of energy conversion was used
to charge a deep cycle battery. The number of times a battery can be
discharged is known as its life cycle. For solar applications, a battery should
be capable of being discharged in severaltimes. In such cases a deep cycle
battery is used. In this work a lead-acid accumulator serves the purpose. The
lead-acid battery has the properties such as high current availability, contact
voltage, longer life and more ability to charge as compare to conventional
batteries. The output of battery was connected to DC pump through a
switch. In this work, DC pump is used because of the advantages such as less
in noise, longer in life, maintenance free, motor speed can be varied in the
larger extent by varying the supply voltage and self-lubricated. Pump is used
to suck the spraying liquid from the sprayer tank and spray it through
nozzle.The sprayer consists of sprayer tank and sprayer pipe. The sprayer
tank is made up of plastic or fibre material in order to reduce the weight of
the tank. The capacity of the tank is 16 litres and connected to the sprayer
pipe with adjustable nozzle. By adjusting the nozzle the output of flow can be
controlled. The whole unit can be carried conveniently at the back of human
body with the help of shoulder straps. The supporting base of entire unit
needs to be strong and light weight.
CHAPTER IV
MATERIAL AND METHODS