Substantiation of technological parameters of equipment for application of plant protection products using multicopters

Abstract

Annotation Purpose. Improving the efficiency of field spraying and creating safe working conditions for maintenance personnel through the use of unmanned multicopters, the air jets from the propellers of which will not distort the flares of the sprayed solution of plant protection products (PPE). Methods. The method of analysis of variable time components of agricultural units is used. Results. Dependences of technical and operational indicators of technological equipment of a multicopter on this design and mode parameters and their rational values are received. Comparative data of multicopter and ground sprayers were obtained, which revealed the indisputable advantages of the former over the latter. Conclusions 1. One of the successful alternatives to ground sprayers is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles – multicopters, which, unlike ground vehicles, do not need to leave in the field among the plants technological tracks that reduce up to 5 % usable area and do not depend on soil and plant height. Due to the significant high working speed in comparison with ground means (from 3 m/s to 10 m/s) and practically absence of time for turns at the end of a run (3–5 s) one multicopter with width of capture of 10–12 m, can replace ground sprayer with a width of 50 m and five times the cost. 2. The rational structural and functional scheme of the technological equipment of the multicopter for plant protection must be similar to the ground sprayers of the frame construction, on the sides of which the screws of the multicopter are installed, and between them the spraying equipment. 3. Reducing the rate of application of PPE solution from low-volume (50 l/ha) to ultra-low-volume (10 l/ha) spraying increases productivity by only 1,3 times and significant complexity of the equipment. 4. Reducing battery time during multicopter operation from 180 minutes to 10 minutes reduces performance by only 10 %. 5. For low-volume spraying, a sufficient tank capacity for the PPE solution is 30 liters. 6. To increase productivity and reduce material costs for batteries, the multicopter must be equipped with a hybrid power plant with an internal combustion engine, which will recharge the battery to drive its propellers. 7. Increasing the capacity of the tank for the solution of PPE in ground sprayers from 3000 liters to 15000 liters is not economically feasible due to a slight (up to 10 %) increase in productivity, increased soil compaction and energy consumption. Keywords: agricultural multicopter, multicopter-sprayer, agricultural drone, liquid sprayers, ultra-low-volume spraying, parameters, modes.