Hydraulic performance indicators optimization for sprinkler irrigation systems: Interactive study for optimal distribution efficiency by sprinkler type and operating pressure

• Ali Hussein Al-Safaar1*

  Author

Water is one of the most important resources for sustainable agricultural production specifically in arid and semi-arid areas. This study was done to evaluate the effect of two types of sprinkler irrigation systems: rotary sprinklers and double-nozzle impact sprinklers, at two levels of operating pressure (2 and 3 bar). Various key performance indicators, such as the coefficient of uniformity (Cu). Field-scale measurements of wettability radius, spray intensity and irrigation efficiency. Results indicated that both sprinkler type and operating pressure respectively had a significant effect on all

characteristics examined. This difference compared to the other results indicates that the rotary sprinkler was a suitable option for obtaining greater uniformity in water distribution and irrigation efficiency. In contrast, the impact sprinkler yielded better results for wettability radius and spray intensity. All the studied increased with the operating pressure from 2 to 3 bar characteristics, because of better dispersion of droplets and less variation in water distribution. Results of the interactions between sprinkler type and pressure also indicated that the best performance was obtained with the rotary sprinkler at 3 bar pressures, recording the highest distribution uniformity coefficient (90%) while the impact sprinkler at 2 bar pressure recorded the lowest value (78%). These results confirm the importance of selecting the appropriate sprinkler type and operating pressure to achieve optimal irrigation system performance.

The study concludes that adopting rotary sprinklers within optimal operating pressures contributes significantly to improving water use efficiency and enhancing the sustainability of modern irrigation systems, which positively impacts agricultural productivity and reduces water loss.

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