Engineering, Energy, Transport AIC

Oleksandr KOBETS – Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Tractors and Agricultural Machinery of Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University (Dnipro, Serhiy Efremov St., 25, e-mail: ddau-shmk@ukr.net, https://orcid.org/0009-0009-5334-0133).
Yevhen LEPET – Postgraduate Student of the EІP «Industrial Mechanical Engineering» of the Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University (Dnipro, Serhiy Yefremov St., 25, e-mail: sadjem1990@gmail.com, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0482-538X).

The efficiency of applying liquid mineral fertilizers is largely determined by the uniformity of their transverse distribution, which depends on the design and operating parameters of jet-type sprayers. This study presents the results of comprehensive experimental research on the influence of working pressure, boom height, and the diameter of the adjustable throttle orifice on the coefficient of variation (CV) of liquid distribution during the application of mineral fertilizer solutions. The tests were conducted on a hydraulic bench using RD.05.SD5-b nozzles and a combined nozzle equipped with interchangeable throttles. Using the Box–Behnken design method, statistically significant second-order regression models were developed, and their adequacy was confirmed by the Fisher criterion. Response surface analysis showed that increasing the pressure and boom height, as well as reducing the throttle orifice diameter, leads to a decrease in the coefficient of variation and improves the uniformity of liquid distribution. The minimum CV values – 18.9% for the RD.05.SD5-b nozzle and 16.8% for the combined nozzle – were achieved under optimal combinations of the studied factors. The obtained results confirm the practical importance of optimizing nozzle geometry and accurately adjusting operating modes to increase fertilizer application efficiency and reduce environmental risks. The developed models can be used for engineering calculations, sprayer calibration, and further improvement of jet-type sprayer designs. Future research should focus on validating the results under field conditions and assessing the influence of the physicochemical properties of fertilizers, temperature fluctuations, and boom dynamics on distribution quality. These results form a scientific foundation for the development of adaptive control systems for precision fertilizer application in modern agricultural technologies.

1.    Subr, A., Milanowski, M., Parafiniuk, S., & Sawa, J. (2017). Testing the uniformity of spray distribution under different application parameters. In E. Lorencowicz, J. Uziak, & B. Huyghebaert (Eds.), Farm machinery and processes management in sustainable agriculture: Proceedings of the 9th International Scientific Symposium (pp. 359–364). University of Life Sciences in Lublin. [in English].
2.    Kluza, P. A., Kuna-Broniowska, I., & Parafiniuk, S. (2019). Modeling and prediction of the uniformity of spray liquid coverage from flat fan spray nozzles. Sustainability, 11(23), 6716. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su11236716. [in English].
3.    Kramarov, S. M., Kramarov, O. S., Demydenko, V. H., Khoroshun, K. O., Pisotskyi, S. S., Bondar, V. Yu., Ruban, S. M., & Tsurkan, K. P. (2020). Economic efficiency of using urea-ammonium mixtures (UAN) in modern fertilization systems for agricultural crops. Nova Ideolohiia [in Ukrainian].
4.    TeeJet Technologies. (2023). A user’s guide to spray technology (LI-TJ416). URL: https://teejet.com/en/-/media/dam/agricultural/usa/sales-material/product-market-bulletin/li-tj416_user-guide-to-spray-technology.pdf [in English].
5.    Nowakowski, T., Chlebowski, J., & Kamiński, J. (2017). Changes of coefficient of variation of transverse liquid distribution for single and dual stream atomizers. Engineering for Rural Development, 16, 1434–1439. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22616/ERDev2017.16.N324 [in English].
6.    Nuyttens, D., Baetens, K., De Schampheleire, M., & Sonck, B. (2007). Effect of nozzle type, size and pressure on spray droplet characteristics. Biosystems Engineering, 97(3), 333–345. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2007.03.001 [in English].
7.    Parafiniuk, S., Nowakowski, T., Koszel, M., Chlebowski, J., & Findura, P. (2024). Influence of chosen working parameters of sprayer on coefficient of variation of transverse liquid distribution for twin fan nozzle. Acta Technologica Agriculturae, 27(3), 173–178. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/ata-2024-0023 [in English].
8.    Dorr, G. J., Hewitt, A. J., Adkins, S. W., Hanan, J., Zhang, H., & Noller, B. (2013). A comparison of initial spray characteristics produced by agricultural nozzles. Crop Protection, 53, 109–117. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2013.06.017 [in English].
9.    Marangoni Junior, A., & da Costa Ferreira, M. (2019). Influence of working pressure and spray nozzle on the distribution of spray liquid in manual backpack sprayers. Arquivos do Instituto Biológico, 86(2), e0442018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1590/1808-1657000442018 [in English].
10.    Szewczyk, A., Łuczycka, D., & Lejman, K. (2011). Wpływ parametrów opryskiwania wybranym rozpylaczem dwustrumieniowym na stopień pokrycia opryskiwanych obiektów. Inżynieria Rolnicza, 4(129), 265–271. [in Polish].
11.    Ukrainian Research and Training Center of Standardization, Certification and Quality. (2019). DSTU ISO 5682-2:2019. Equipment for plant protection. Spraying equipment. Part 2: Test methods for hydraulic sprayers. Kyiv: UkrNDNC. [in Ukrainian].
12.    Agromodul LLC. (n.d.). Official website. URL: http://www.agromodul.com.ua/ua [in Ukrainian].
13.    Kobets, O. M., & Lepet, Ye. I. (2025). Deflector sprayer (Utility model application № u 2025 04632). Dnipro State Agrarian and Economic University. [in Ukrainian].
14.    Kyselov, O. V., Komarova, I. B., Milko, D. O., & Bakardzhiiev, R. O. (2017). Statistical processing and presentation of experimental research results (based on the experience of writing dissertations). Zaporozhzhia: STATUS, Institute of Mechanization of Animal Husbandry of NAAS. [in Ukrainian].
15.    Aliiev, E. B. (2023). Numerical modeling of agro-industrial production processes. Kyiv: Ahrarna nauka. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31073/978-966-540-584-9 [in Ukrainian].
16.    Wolfram, S. (2023). An elementary introduction to the Wolfram Language (3rd ed.). Wolfram Research. URL: https://www.wolfram.com/language/elementary-introduction/3rd-ed/ [in English].