Experimental study on suspensions flow hydraulic characteristics in dripper emitter path

The hydraulic property of emitters is primarily influenced by the flow movement of emitter path. The reaction of the suspend particles to the flow is intense and should not be ignored. The flow process of flow with sand particles in labyrinth emitter path was studied. The mass fractions of sand particles in the experiment were 40, 80, 160 mg/L, respectively. The flow rates were measured both cleaning water and flow with sand particles. Effects of flow friction characteristics and sand particle on the hydraulic property of emitters were analyzed. Results indicate that the emitter discharge decreases slightly and the emitter flow rates show a trend from rising to declining with the increasing of the suspension concentration in the same operating pressure because of the turbulence prevention by sands. The transition from laminar flow to turbulent flow in emitter path happened earlier than that in normal sized tube. The critical pressure is about 45 kPa.