Experimental facilities

The Spray Tech Lab has the following experimental facilities to carry out measurements and experimental research work in the field of spray application technology:

Air flow characterization

Anemometers are used to characterise the air flow pattern of orchard, airblast sprayers and field sprayers with air support.

Deposition measurement

Different types of tracers, artificial collectors, chemical analysis techniques, cameras and image processing are used to measure and visualise spray deposits.

Heubach dustmeter

The Heubach method is as a reproducible measuring technique for the standardized determination of dust generated by the handling of treated seeds, powders, tablets and granules.

Individual sowing element

The individual sowing element is an alternative set-up to determine the total dust load generated by pesticide-treated seeds during sowing.

Nozzle flow rate test bench

The nozzle flow rate test benches are used for a precise measurement of the flow rate of hydraulic nozzles at a given pressure. A stationary as well as a mobile test bench are available.

Analogue nozzle test bench

The orchard nozzle flow rate test bench is used for a precise measurement of the flow rate of hydraulic nozzles when mounted on the sprayer.

pdpa laser

The Phase Doppler Particle Analyser (PDPA) is a highly specialised technology to measure droplet velocities and sizes of sprays.

Pressure gauge calibration test stand

The pressure gauge calibration test stand is used to validate and calibrate digital and analogue work/lab pressure gauges.

Pump and spray gun tester

The spray gun and pump tester are used to measure the pressure and flow rate at the pump and spray gun.

Mobile rainfall simulator

The rainfall simulators can be used to perform retention studies under controlled and field conditions. Rain and drizzle as well as different intensties, quantities and drying times can be simulated.

Single droplet generator

This piezoelectric single droplet generator can be used to produce microdrops of aqueous solutions in droplet-on-demand as well as continuous mode.

Spray

The spray distribution bench is used for a very precise measurement of a single nozzle or a short spray boom (up tot 3 m) at a given spray pressure, off set angle and height.

Spray scanner

The spray scanner is used for a very precise and automated measurement of the cross flow distribution of a field crop sprayer or a set of hydraulic nozzles mounted on a standard boom.

SprayScan mobile patternation system

The SprayScan is a portable system that illuminates, captures, and evaluates a spray pattern, providing insights on spray performance and distribution.

Spray track

The spray track can be used to test field crop sprayers for their spray boom stability and represents average field conditions.

Spray unit

The spray units can be used to perform spray tests under controlled and field conditions and can be equipped with vertical (stationary unit) and horizontal spray booms and air support (stationary unit).

Vertical patternator

The vertical patternator is used to measure the spray liquid distribution of orchard and airblast sprayers and vertical spray booms.