Water running

 

Equipment for water running EASY Liquids

Equipment for water running EASY Liquids

Growers who have previously water run urea will find water running EASY Liquids® fertilisers to be a simpler operation because it eliminates the need to dissolve solid fertilisers in the field.

To accurately water run EASY Liquids, growers need a main tank and a constant head tank to regulate the flow of fertiliser into the irrigation channel (see diagram above).

The main tank should be large enough to hold the quantity of fertiliser needed to meet your application requirements.

Consider a mobile tank on wheels, forklift fittings or skids for moving the tank to different fields.

Connect the main tank to the constant head tank using a float valve. At the outlet, fit a strainer inside the tank and a range of caps with different sized holes outside.

Variations in the rate of nutrient applied can then be made by:

  • changing the size of the head tank orifice size
  • changing the channel flow rate.

Place the outlet from the constant head at least 20 metres from the first siphon to allow thorough mixing with the irrigation water.

High Density Polyethylene (HDPE), fibreglass or stainless steel tanks are best suited to EASY Liquids. See the Material Compatibility guide in the Handling, Storage and Transport section for details on suitable materials.

Guide to orifices at constant head

Orifice size

Flow at 14 cm head (L/min)

Flow at 14 cm head (L/24 hours)

3.3

0.69

990

3.7

0.85

1225

4.1

1.02

1470

4.4

1.145

1650

5.0

1.325

1910

5.2

1.535

2200

5.6

1.81

2610

6.0

2.055

2960

6.5

2.36

3400

 

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Calculations

To determine total volumes required, you need to know:

  • the area to be watered (e.g. 10 hectares)
  • the analysis of the fertiliser (e.g. 26% N in EASY U Sol®)
  • the desired nitrogen application rate (e.g. 25 kg N/ha)

 

Product volume required for one application =

nitrogen application rate kg/ha x Area watered in hectares
Analysis of the fertiliser/100

Volume = 25 x 10
 0.26
= 962 L

Allow 10% buffer – 962 x 0.1 = 96 L

96 + 962 = 1058 L

 

To calibrate the constant head to apply the required rate of nitrogen, the following formula is used:

Flow rate (L/min) = Product volume required

Shift time (hours) x 60

Flow rate (L/min) = 1058

24 x 60

Flow rate (L/min) = 0.73 L/minute

Equipment for water running EASY Liquids is available from several suppliers.

 

For more information on EASY Liquids fertilisers, contact your local Incitec Pivot Fertilisers’ Distributor or freecall 1800 009 832.

www.incitecpivot.com.au

This is a guide only, which we hope you find helpful as a general tool. While Incitec Pivot Fertilisers has taken all reasonable care in the preparation of this guide, it should not be relied on as a substitute for tailored professional advice and Incitec Pivot Fertilisers accepts no liability in connection with this guide. Talk to your local Incitec Pivot Fertilisers Distributor Agronomist about soil testing and arranging a specific fertiliser recommendation that best suits your needs.

® EASY Liquids, EASY N, EASY U Sol, EASY PK, EASY Cal, EASY ATS and EASY KS are registered trademarks of Incitec Pivot Limited. ® Coppersol, Zincsol, Mangasol and Topfoliar are registered trademarks of Top Australia Limited.

Incitec Pivot Fertilisers is a business of Incitec Pivot Limited, ABN 42 004 080 264.

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