An Air-Assist Spray Nozzle for Applying Herbicides in Ultralow Volume

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Abstract
An air-assist spray nozzle was constructed to apply herbicides in oil or water at volumes as low as 2.3 L/ha. The spray was metered through a disc orifice inside the nozzle and forced into an airstream which atomized the liquid. The nozzle produced 16 to 54 spray droplets/cm2 with air pressures from 3.4 to 62 kPa from a 2-mm outlet using a lightweight paraffinic oil. The number of spray droplet deposits produced with a paraffinic oil at 34 kPa increased from 7 droplets/cm2 with a 0.8-mm outlet to 48 droplets/cm2 with a 2.4-mm outlet. The nozzle was designed primarily to apply herbicides in oil at 2.3 to 4.7 L/ha, but it has the capability of applying 150 L/ha of oil or water.