High pressure pumps for UAV spraying

Posted by Martin Z on August 15, 2015 at 4:41am

Hello everyone,

There is a need for a light high pressure pump for UAV spraying, what is out there in the market has not been designed for this application and are heavy and bulky, so I was thinking about the possibility of using a low Kv outrunner motor for this high torque application, here is a design I found:

625x465_1227903_1157190_1429679946.jpg?width=300

If anyone here has any input, it would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

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Replies

  • George Parker III January 3, 2016 at 8:48am
    When thinking about pump and nozzle selection, at least in the US, you must take into account the various products label language statements for boom pressure and/or droplet size. Whatever your setup, it must comply with the statements for both of those specifications.
  • C December 16, 2015 at 9:00am

    Just wondering what your all spraying and what your setups are like?

    From a practical approach the misters you use or suggest are almost certainly useless. They produce a fine spray and mist, which is completely inneffective for crop spraying.

    The mist would cause drift, a major problem and source of environmental pollution. On still days the mist would be affected by convection currents and wouldn't reach the target.

    It would be better to use agricultural crop sprayer nozzles.

    They require higher pressure but can produce, coarse, larger droplets of spray, more likely to reach the target. 

  • Martin Z August 25, 2015 at 7:23am

    Here I am posting links to the DC pumps and misters available:

    About the smaller sized pump Chris suggested, I cant imagine these pumps handling more than three misters, I had bad luck with these kind of pumps in the long run, because they are made exclusively to carry water, so, by adding phosphoric substances found in all fertilizer and pesticides, the lifespan is not good: 

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CB69ZW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&am...

    These ones can handle 4.3 Litters per minute at 35 PSI, I have tried them with a 3s 2500mah lipo and I was able to spray with up to four misters at the time, they are made to carry all sort of liquids used in agriculture, even gasoline! they are the best ones I have found so far:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DLKT4OO/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&am...

    These ones are rated at 70PSI and can handle up to seven misters at the time! with a 3s 3000mah:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00INSTFD4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&am...

    The misters:

    You have many options, they can be plastic, metal, screw on or push in:

    These ones are my favorite, they are push in plastic misters with PBC flexible black tubing, they work fantastic, they are super asy to work with but you will need to make a coupling to adapt it depending on which pump you choose, should be pretty easy to figure out:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ZC4R5HU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&am...

    If you are thinking about using rigid tubing instead of flexible PBC tubing, you can find this convenient couplings as well:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000A16TDG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&am...

    You can also find adapters so you can swap them, but they are harder to do so, here is a link to a low pressure screw in system, I have not try them yet but I would love to hear some input about them, but they don't look very easy to swap:

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0056CCZ3W/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&am...

    I would suggest you to stick to the plastic push in ones, they are great, super easy to clean, and you can also swap them really fast, this is because they conveniently break into three pieces, here I will show a picture, the grey area screws in and lets you somewhat regulate the mist to the pressure of your pump:

    734938875_083.jpg?width=500

    There are some considerations you must keep in mind:

    - Misters get clogged! so you need to filter your liquids always!

    - Make sure your system allows you to swap them easily.

    - If you choose to add rigid misters make sure there isn't any leftover glue, glue strings, drilling dust, etc..

    - You need to choose the number of misters according to your pump capacity.

    - DO NOT USE CLEAR OR WHITE TUBING! algae will form and will clog all your misters!

    We would love to hear your input!

    Cheers!

    • chris naples > Martin Z August 25, 2015 at 4:18pm
      are you using these pumps on a drone? They weigh over a pound and a half and are quite large! As for the cloging issue I have been using a fish tank air stone as a filter. Just put it on the intake of the pump. Also the windshield washer pumps some time need priming. I used a primer ball from a weed wacker. Just check eBay for them. Like 4 bucks for a bunch.
  • chris naples August 24, 2015 at 11:55am

    I have been using a windshield washer pump hooked up to a misting system. Works well and last for hours on a 900mah 3s battery. Here is a similar pump

    http://www.amazon.com/Trico-11-100-Universal-Windshield-Washer/dp/B...

    • chris naples > chris naples August 25, 2015 at 4:11pm
      I have 6 most heads running on this setup. Works like a charm. Probably don't need 6 heads as its over kill. You can buy the mist kit here http://m.homedepot.com/p/Orbit-1-4-in-Portable-Outdoor-Cooling-Mist...

      The actual pump I am using is from a BMW. Pretty much the same specs. Just go to emay and search for BMW windshield washer pump. I could send you a video of it working. Pm me if you want the video.
    • FerrosonicFPV > chris naples August 24, 2015 at 4:17pm

      I hugely appreciate that you posted the link for the pump. 

      Getting a reliable sprayer system together is a project that I too am working on.

      Do you have the link for the misters as well?

      How many are you able to run with this pump?

      Again, thank your for your help

  • Rick Steer August 24, 2015 at 11:49am

    Hi, have a look at Laing DDC pumps. I use one to cool my PC, small, light and powerful. They have a high flow rate but not sure how they would cope with the pressure needed to operate a spray nozzle.

    http://laingpumpdealer.com/pump.asp?index=36697&man=Laing

    http://laingpumpdealer.com/pump.asp?index=36697&man=Laing
  • Pat Randall August 24, 2015 at 9:09am

    I would lean more toward a pressurized container, this way there are not moving parts or need for additional power/weight.  Is some land based applications the container has a bladder which separates  the pressurize gas from the liquid being sprayed.  A solution can be provided for all small spray jobs pretty easily,

    • FerrosonicFPV > Pat Randall August 24, 2015 at 9:33am

      Pressure tanks still require moving parts as the pressure decreases as the tank discharges.

      Less liquid is sprayed out as a result of the decreasing pressure, and uneven pesticide coverage is the result.

      Valving of some kind will be required for a pressure tank.

      The small pump is a much much much simpler idea.



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