Causes of Dripper Plugging in Drip Irrigation Systems

Ⅰ. Drippers play an important role in drip irrigation system

With the increasingly prominent contradiction between water supply and demand, the development of high-efficiency water-saving irrigation technology has become a strategic choice for the healthy, stable and sustainable development of agriculture in which drip irrigation technology has obvious effects of saving water and fertilizer, increasing output and income. Therefore, it has been widely applied in many arid and semi-arid areas with water shortage. But it is difficult to solve plugging drippers in application. The clogging of the dripper not only affects the effect of drip irrigation, but also increases the cost of management and maintenance. At the same time, it limits the promotion and application of drip irrigation technology. So how to prevent the dripper from clogging scientifically?

Ⅱ. Reasons for the blockage of the dripper in the drip irrigation system

1. Water quality

1) Physical blockage

Physical blockage refers to blockage caused by inorganic or organic suspended matter contained in the water. Drip irrigation water is mostly taken from river water, well water, lake water, spring water, and reclaimed water. Although the water quality has been filtered and pretreated, it still contains suspended solid particles.

2) Chemical blockage

Chemical clogging refers to the clogging caused by insoluble precipitation caused by dissolved chemicals in water. Some inorganic elements in drip irrigation water, such as Fe, Ca, Mg, Mn, react with sulfate, phosphate, silicate and so on, which will produce insoluble compounds and precipitate, and accumulate continuously to form blockage.

3) Biological blockage

Biological blockage mainly refers to the flow channel blockage caused by the growth and reproduction of algae and bacterial slime in the water after entering the drip irrigation system.

2. Structural factors of the dripper flow channel

The flow channel and its hydraulic characteristics of the dripper are closely related to the anti-clogging performance of the drip irrigation dripper. The length, width, flow rate and turbulence of the flow channel will all affect the anti-clogging performance of the dripper.

3. Dripper processing technology

The characteristic size of the dropper is small. The ratio of the flow passage wall roughness to the characteristic size of the dropper flow passage is large, so it is easy to cause the dropper flow passage clogging. But the characteristic size is usually small, so the roughness has a great influence on its anti-clogging performance.

4. Operation management factors of drip irrigation system

Unreasonable management factors during the operation of the drip irrigation system will also affect its anti-clogging performance. For example, inappropriate filtering equipment, unreasonable construction and installation methods, and the use of drip irrigation systems to apply chemical fertilizers will all cause the dripper to block.