Design and performance test of a novel UAV air-assisted electrostatic centrifugal spraying system

In order to improve the deposition and uniformity of the pesticide sprayed by the agricultural spraying drone, this study designed a novel spraying system, combining air-assisted spraying system with electrostatic technology. First, an air-assisted electrostatic centrifugal spray system was designed for agricultural spraying drones, including a shell, a diversion shell, and an electrostatic ring. Then, experiments were conducted to optimize the setting of the main parameters that affect the charge-to-mass ratio, and outdoor spraying experiments were carried out on the spraying effect of the air-assisted electrostatic centrifugal spray system. The results showed the optimum parameters were that the centrifugal rotation speed was 10 000 r/min, the spray pressure was 0.3 MPa, the fan rotation speed was 14 000 r/min, and the electrostatic generator voltage was 9 kV; The optimum charge-to-mass ratio of the spray system was 2.59 mC/kg. The average deposition density of droplets on the collecting platform was 366.1 particles/cm2 on the upper layer, 345.1 particles/cm2 on the middle layer, and 322.5 particles/cm2 on the lower layer. Compared to the results of uncharged droplets on the upper, middle, and lower layers, the average deposition density was increased by 34.9%, 30.4%, and 30.2%, respectively, and the uniformity of the distribution of the droplets at different collection points was better.

Automated summary

This study designed a spraying system that combines air-assisted spraying system with electrostatic technology to improve the deposition and uniformity of pesticides sprayed by agricultural spraying drones. The optimized parameters were determined through experiments, and the spraying effect of the system was evaluated. The results showed that the system achieved better spraying performance compared to traditional uncharged spraying systems.