Intellispray™ for more precise application

By John Luck

 

Whether from the seat of your combine during harvest or from the office chair as you analyze this year’s harvest data, you’ve likely identified areas where weeds, diseases or insects hurt yields. The latest spray equipment and application technology from New Holland could be just what you need to gain back those bushels.

 

New Holland’s Intellispray™ advanced nozzle control technology gives you precise spray control by delivering consistent, flexible and accurate application, regardless of speed and terrain. The result: more efficient use of crop protection products.

 

The IntelliSpray system enhances the productivity of your Guardian sprayer by controlling product flow and pressure more precisely than conventional rate controllers. Here’s how it works: the IntelliSpray system uses pulse width modulation to maintain a constant pressure at the spray tips to ensure a proper droplet size at varying spraying speeds. Liquid flow rate through each nozzle’s control valve is managed by an intermittent, brief shutoff of the nozzle flow activated by an electric solenoid.

 

Typical systems pulse at 10 Hz (the solenoid shuts off the nozzle 10 times per second). The duration of the nozzle in the “on” position is called the duty cycle or pulse width. The ability to control the duty cycle is referred to as pulse width modulation. The IntelliSpray nozzle control system features pulse width modulation solenoids on each nozzle that open and close at different rates to maintain product application rates. The boom nozzles are divided into 36 virtual sections, or you can take the next step and unlock the individual nozzle control. (Individual nozzle control requires a Raven Viper 4+ monitor.)

 

 

Intellispray turn compensation allows rates to adjust across the booms to maintain the rate and droplets size while turning on headlands. Without this level of technology, as a sprayer makes a turn while applying, the inside portion of the boom is over-applying, and the outside portion is under-applying. The turn compensation feature monitors the position of the sprayer through a GPS signal, and once the unit starts to turn or make an arc, the individual nozzle valves adjust their duty cycle to maintain the proper flow for achieving the desired application rate across the entire boom.

 

 

IntelliSpray makes spray drift management easier. The most accessible tool for reducing spray drift is to increase droplet size by reducing spray pressure. In a conventional system, the reduction of spray pressure can only be achieved when travel speed is reduced because the lower spray pressure also reduces the overall flow rate. With pulse width modulation, the loss of flow with a reduction in spray pressure can be compensated for by an increase in duty cycle without requiring a reduction in travel speed.

 

 

A traditional nozzle check valve is designed to prevent nozzle dripping on boom shutoff. However, due to the presence of air pockets in most booms, as well as the elastic nature of rubber hoses leading to the boom, the shutoff is delayed until the boom pressure reaches about one bar. This can take up to 10 seconds, resulting in unintended overspray and other safety concerns. With Intellispray, the solenoid shuts off the flow to the nozzle instantly, and conversely, turns it on instantly as well. The boom remains fully pressurized while the nozzles are shut off, allowing the spray patterns to be fully developed when flow is resumed.

 

Judicious use of crop protection products always is the right thing to do. Talk to your New Holland Dealer about how Intellispray can help you improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your Guardian sprayer and your crop protection program.