How surface tension of surfactant solutions influences the characteristicsof sprays produced by hydraulic nozzles used for pesticide application

The sprays produced by hydraulic agricultural nozzles are influenced by the : surface tension of the spray liquid; but models of spray formation relate only to pure liquids with constant surface tension. The way surfactant sol utions affect spray formation is studied by investigating sprays of pure li quids compared with a range of surfactant solutions. Some surfactants cause d changes in the appearance of the liquid sheet produced by the nozzles, wh ich did not occur with pure liquids. and smaller spray drop sizes than pure liquids, suggesting that other surface properties may also be important. ( C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.