Abstract:Flushing is the necessary measures of micro-irrigation system maintenance, the laboratory experiment was conducted at Kunming University of Science and Technology to evaluate the effect of three targeted flushing velocities (0.25m/s, 0.50m/s and 0.75m/s) and five flushing frequencies (flushing every two days, flushing every four days, flushing every seven days, flushing every ten days, and non-flushing control group) on the anti-clogging performance of the emitter. The laser particle size analyzer was used to analyze the particle size of the water source sediment, the sediment discharged by the dripper, and the retained sediment in the dripper. The relative flow rate and irrigation uniformity of the emitter were fitted under different flushing treatments. The results showed that the irrigation treatment had a significant effect on the anti-clog performance of the emitter, and the 12 irrigation treatment measures increased the service life of the emitter by 39.58% on average. Flushing can effectively reduce the accumulation of sediments in the dripline and decrease the probability of coarse particles flowing into emitters and fine particles aggregating and cementing in the labyrinth channel, thus relieving the emitter clogging. The capillary flush treatment improved the uniformity of irrigation and reduced the probability of sudden blockage of the emitter. Flushing can effectively reduce sediment accumulation in the capillary, reduce the probability of large sediment entering the labyrinth channel, and improve the anti-clogging performance of the drip head. Therefore, dripline flushing can effectively slow down clogging in muddy water drip irrigation system. The recommended flushing velocity should be set at 0.75m/s, and the flushing intervals should be extended appropriately but not more than 7 days.
