Design and Field Demonstration of Compact, Low-Pressure, Clog-Resistant Drip Emitters
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water-18-01462-v3.pdf
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12.99 MB
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e0cdc9e4cd195055dbf95a7f0759fc59
Author(s)
Ghodgaonkar, Aditya
Niquet, Luis
Shorter, Amanda L.
Lua, Arturo
Schmid, Charles
Laybourn, Dave
Vildibill, Jeff
Winter, Amos G.
Date Issued
June 13, 2026
Journal
Water
Publisher
MDPI
Citation
Ghodgaonkar, A.; Niquet, L.; Shorter, A.L.; Lua, A.; Schmid, C.; Laybourn, D.; Vildibill, J.; Winter, A.G., V. Design and Field Demonstration of Compact, Low-Pressure, Clog-Resistant Drip Emitters. Water 2026, 18, 1462.
Version
Final published version
Abstract
Compact low-pressure emitters (LPEs) can improve the affordability of drip irrigation, but they must also demonstrate clog resistance for long-term reliability and adoption. Recent research on LPEs has focused on their hydraulic modeling and characterization, but few studies have evaluated or improved their clog resistance. To address this gap, we present a design theory for clog-resistant LPEs and characterize their performance in the lab and field. We focused on the emitters’ weir (or ‘overflow groove’ or ‘channel’), a micrometer-scale internal hydraulic passage, traditionally having a rectangular cross-section. In LPEs, the weir must be shallow to generate the hydraulic resistance required for low-pressure operation, thereby increasing the risk of particulate-jamming-based clogging. A hydraulic model of weirs with arbitrary cross-sections was used to estimate that trapezoidal profiles could be 33–41% deeper than hydraulically equivalent rectangular ones, suggesting that the trade-off between clog resistance and hydraulic performance in LPEs could be navigated through weir cross-section design. To practically validate this proposition, two compact LPEs with trapezoidal weirs (1 and 2 L/h nominal discharge) were designed and tested in the lab and field. Lab results indicated compatibility with 125 μm (1 L/h) and 177 μm (2 L/h) mesh filters that are typical for these flow rates, providing a basis for field testing the LPEs against commercial emitters. After field tests with these filters, the LPEs held 90–94% of their initial discharge and demonstrated irrigation reliability that was statistically on par with or better than some commercial emitters, despite having 15–65% lower operating pressure. The findings of this work demonstrate the practical viability of compact LPEs for affordable drip irrigation and provide a design framework for their continued development.
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DOI of Published Version
https://doi.org/10.3390/w18121462
