Fabrication and performance evaluation of a solar-operated pesticide sprayer.

In Bangladesh for spraying purposes there are two types of sprayers are used, one is hand-operated and the other is a fuel-operated sprayer. A worker can’t use the hand-operated sprayer nonstop for more than 5-6 hours and needs fuel for fuel fuel-operated sprayer which is costly, an environmental pollutant and in rural places availability of fuel is not easy. An investigation was made to fabricate a solar pesticide sprayer, evaluation the performance of the sprayer and comparing it with the hand-operated sprayer. The solar-operated pesticide sprayer consists of a 12-volt 20-watt capacity solar panel, a 12-volt DC battery, a DC motor, a pump and a 16-liter tank to hold the pesticide. The solar sprayer required 5 minutes 18 seconds to apply pesticide in 5 decimal fields. This time was almost half compared to the hand-operated sprayer. The solar sprayer worked at 4-5 bar but hand operated sprayer worked at 1.5-2 bar. The solar panel of the pesticide sprayer produced maximum voltage, current and power at 300 inclination angles and the lowest output at 600 inclination angles. The proposed sprayer’s total cost was US $ 2.13 per ha. On the other hand, the manually operated sprayer costs US $ 4.20 per ha. It was clearly shown that the solar-operated sprayer cost was half compared to the manual sprayer. In full solar intensity after 5 hours of operation, the solar pesticide sprayer can operate for 3-4 hours more which offers the spraying facility at night. This sprayer can be used at farms, gardens and other various locations also it can become more popular in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]