In agriculture, the efficiency of irrigation systems is critical to maximising crop productivity. However, they are sometimes faced with challenges such as the siphon effect, which can have a negative impact on accurate product application.
It is therefore important to understand what the siphon effect is and how it can be avoided.
What is the siphon effect?
The siphon effect in water or in a hydraulic installation is an effect caused by a fluid inside a pipe, in this case the irrigation water, which, when moving at a certain speed, is able to create a “vacuum effect”, causing a suction of the product to be dosed, even when our dosing pump is switched off.
This can be easily solved with anti-siphon valves or an injection valve with anti-siphon.
How to avoid the siphon effect?
In order to avoid the siphon effect in pipes, irrigation channels or water, it is advisable to follow the instructions below.
The anti-siphon valve is a device located in the outlet at a point above the maximum level of the product in the tank, it opens at very low pressure, zero pressure or depression, facilitating the entry of air into the installation, preventing the accidental discharge of the product contained in the tanks into the irrigation pipe when the dosing machine is not operating and providing stability and safety in the installation of the dosing pump without causing pressure drops.
A common phenomenon observed when using this device with saline solutions, such as fertilisers, is that the entry of air into the pipe can facilitate the crystallisation of the product, affecting the tightness at the time of closure. In this case, loss of product and even damage to the seal can be observed.
Another option to avoid the siphon effect is a spring-loaded non-return injector valve, which acts as an anti-siphon.
The combination of an anti-siphon valve with a spring-loaded non-return valve provides a guarantee against discharge of the anti-siphon valve with the tightness of the non-return valve, as the anti-siphon valve will not open unless the non-return valve loses its tightness.
