International Journal of Scientific & Engineering Research Volume 10, Issue 5, May-2019 117

ISSN 2229-5518
3

Solar Powered Sprayer- A review

Nashmin Alam and Murshed Alam

Abstract— Solar powered sprayer hold promise toward the agriculture’s unmechanized and drudging tasks of manually or small engine
operated sprayer. The solar-powered sprayers also save crop cultivation cost and reduce environmental pollution. This review describes
the current status of the solar-powered sprayer, flow chart and circuit diagram required for the successful development of the sprayer. The
ca- pacity of solar panel varied from 10 W to 60 W. A very good relation was found between the size and weight of the solar panel with the
pow- er rating of the solar panel. The capacity of the spray tank was varied between 12 L to 16 L. However, there was no relation found
between the capacity of the spray tank and power rating of the solar panel. The weights of the panel were varied from 2 kg to 6 kg. The
power rating of the solar panel increases its weight raises but the time for charging the battery decreases if the solar panel is operating at
its maximum rating. The relation between power rating of solar panel and charging time of battery was established and presented
graphically. A few com- plete solar powered sprayers have demonstrated the potential of the technology in the field. Additional research
and development is needed to fully realize this potential.

Index Terms— solar panel, charging battery, flow chart of sprayer, circuit diagram, spray and
ergonomics.

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1 INTRODUCTION

I N agriculture sector there is a lot of field work, such as

weeding, reaping, sowing etc. Apart from these operations,
spraying is also an important operation to be performed by
the farmer to protect the cultivated crops from insects, pests,
funguses and diseases for which various insecticides, pesti-

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cides, fungicides and nutrients are sprayed on crops for pro-
tection [1]. Most of the developing countries of the world use
hand operated compression type (fig.1) or lever operated
sprayer (fig. 2) or a small engine operated sprayers (fig.3) to
apply pesticides in their field. The operation of compression
type, lever operted knapsack and engine operted spryers are
shown in fig. 4 and 5 respectively.
A hand operated sprayer is a continuous type of sprayer with
a fairly constant discharge rate. A person maintains pressure
in the tank by pumping air with a lever with one hand and
directs the spray lance with the other hand. The recommended
lever strokes per minute are 20-30 and 10-25 by FAO [5] and
[6] and RNAM [7] respectively. Maintaining a constant pres-
sure is very difficult with a manual knapsack sprayer and Fig.1. Manually operated compression sprayer [2]
causes user fatigue due to maintain a constant pressure and
excessive heavy bulky construction [8],[9],[10],[11] and [12].
The maximum discomfort in the body parts experienced in the
lever-operated knapsack sprayer were in the left clavicle re-
gion, followed by lower back, neck, left thigh and right clavi-
cle [13], [14] and [15]. In addition, the lever operation induces
greater variation in spray pressure results inconsistency of
application which adversely affects pest control [16], [17], [18]
and [19].

————————————————
Nashmin Alam is currently pursuing masters degree program in electric
electronic engineering in the Bangladesh University of Engineering &
Tech- nolgy (BUET), Dhaka- 1000. E-mail: nashminalam@gmail.com
Murshed Alam is currently working in Bangladesh Agricultural University,
Mymensingh-2202. E-mail: murshedalambau@gmail.com
Fig.2. Components of lever operated knapsack sprayer. [4]

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 then converted it into electrical energy by photovoltaic con-
version process [24]. Therefore, many researchers are plan-
ning to conduct research to design and development a solar
power sprayer. This paper will help to new researchers to
work on the solar-powered sprayer.
2. METHODOLOGY
Different books, journals, research papers, websites were
searched to get the information on solar power sprayers.
Those were studied thoroughly and collected information to
write the paper. The flow charts and circuit diagrams of vari-
ous developed solar-powered sprayers are presented in the
paper. The selection of the solar panel was done by consider-
ing the weight criteria as well as its ability to charge the bat-
Fig.3. Engine operated sprayer [3] tery. The current produced by the solar panel was calculated
by knowing the maximum rating power of the solar panel and
the voltage rating of the battery. Charging time was computed
by the ratio of battery rating to the total current produced by
the solar panel [26]. The technical specifications of different
components used for developing the solar-powered sprayer by
the researchers were summaries in a table to get the infor-
a b mation at a glance. Relations were investigated between the

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size and weight of the solar
panel with the power rating of the
Fig.4. Farmers are operating; (a) a compression sprayer [3], solar panel. The relation between power rating of solar panel
(b) a lever operated knapsack sprayer [4] and charging time of battery was also investigated. Those rela-
tions were presented graphically to get quick information.

3. RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS

The main functional parts of the developed solar-powered
sprayers of different researchers were; solar panel, DC motor,
battery, micro control sensor, emergency LED, spray nozzle,
pesticide tank, etc. The solar radiation is collected by solar
panels and then converted it into electrical energy by photo-
voltaic conversion process [24]. The battery uses electricity to
Fig.5. Farmer is using a small engine operated sprayer charge itself. The electricity which is stored is used to run the
[4] motor and other portable devices [12]. When the switch is
turned ON the electricity is provided to suck pesticide from
Engine operated sprayers are harmful because of vibrations the tank and deliver it through the motor. But the ON and OFF
transmission to human body parts results in early fatigue and state of the motor is controlled by spray gun trigger. When the
reduced work output of the workers [20]. The vibration levels trigger is pulled, the motor is made ON and pressure is main-
transmitted to specific body parts of the operator besides caus- tained by micro control sensor. The motor is made OFF as
ing discomfort could be a source of long-term health hazards trigger is released. Block diagram of solar operated sprayer
[21]. The heart rate of the operator is also increased with the and the circuit diagram are shown in fig. 6 and 7 respectively
vibration to the human body in power knapsacks sprayer op- [11] and [12]. They provided 2 adopters with the rechargeable
eration [22]. The engine operated sprayer is working on petrol. battery for plug-in and out connection for emergency LED and
The use of conventional energy i.e. petrol produces pollutants DC mobile charger.
which are harmful to the environment [11]. On the other hand,
the world faces a huge “energy crisis” problem [8] and [23] Singh et al. used two ways in energy conversion; Alternating
due to decreasing the supply of petroleum, gas, and coal. To Current (A.C) and a solar panel to charge a deep cycle lead-
meet the future “energy demands”, the use of non- acid battery. A.C supply converted into Direct Current (D.C)
conventional energy, solar energy, as an alternate solution is supply with the help of full wave bridge rectifier which consist
inescapable. Solar radiation is collected by solar panels and a step-down and diodes in star connection. In case of solar
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energy mode, solar energy converted into electrical energy Sinha et al. used solar photovoltaic (SPV) panel of 60 W for
using solar panel by photovoltaic effect and stored in the bat- charging the power pack of the sprayer system. They reported
tery. The output of battery was connected to a DC pump to that deep discharge of battery was a common problem en-
suck the spraying liquid from the sprayer tank and spray it countered by farmers in the commercially available battery. In
through nozzle. Figure 8 shows the block diagram of the de- order to overcome this problem, an electronic module was
veloped solar sprayer by Singh et al. designed to cut off the power supply to the motor whenever
the battery voltage reduced to 10 V with the help of voltage
comparator circuit and magnetic relay. The voltage-current
comparator circuit with magnetic relay was designed for cut
off from charging source to the battery as and when the cur-
rent drops below 70 mA [25]. The module was also embedded
overcharging cutoff feature to protect the battery from the det-
rimental effect on service life due to overcharging. Sinha et al.
also reported that the maximum performance of SPV found
when the irradiation falls perpendicular to the panel surface
so an adjustable frame was designed to alter the angle of SPV
as per latitude of the site. Figure 9 shows the block diagram of
the developed solar powered sprayer by Sinha et al.

Fig.6. Block diagram of solar powered sprayer [11] and

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[12].

Fig.9. Block diagram of solar powered sprayer [9]

Chavan et al. used a charge controller between a solar panel

and a lead-acid battery for limiting the rate of electric current

R
is added to the battery. The output from the charge controller
was given to the battery by a 3 pin socket through an electrical
network. This circuit was designed to control the revolution of
the motor by controlling the amount of resistance between the
motor and the battery while simultaneously providing a
charging supply for the battery. The circuit had 3 states. O
state; the switch was off in this state. The circuit was in the
Fig.7. Circuit Diagram of the sprayer [11] and [12].
dead state but the battery would be charged through the plug.
II state; the 2nd part of the circuit is switched on. When
VA=VB, there was no current flowing through the connecting
wire AB by which the motor loop was isolated from the bat-
tery. Even there the plug charged the battery but the motor did
not run. I state; the switch was turned to I. Thus, the entire
circuit was switched on. The motor operates while there was
simultaneous charging of the battery through the plug. The
motor’s revolution was controlled by the value of the variable
Fig.8. Block diagram of the sprayer [1] resistance as shown in fig. 10. Figure 11 shows the block dia-
gram of spraying system.
 was 327 ml/min and covered 1 acre in 3 hrs. They reported
that their sprayer reduced user fatigue and improved the qual-
ity of spraying pesticides. In addition, the cost was low and
easy to move in the field [26].
Kothari et al. reported that their solar operated sprayer was
eco-friendly and lower cost, and thus would prove to be more
efficient when compared to petrol based pesticide sprayer. The
proposed sprayer is most suitable for small and medium scale
farmers and remote areas like the field, forest where fuel is not
available easily. The portable devices, the adaptors are fixed
on the body of the tank and this adaptor provide plug-in and
Fig.10. Electric circuit for speed control of motor [26]
out connection for emergency LED and mobile charger [11].

The capacity of solar panel varied from 10 W to 60 W. A very

good relation was found among volume and weight of the
solar panel with the power rating of the solar panel. Relation
among volume and weight of the solar panel with the power
rating of the solar panel are presented in Fig.12 and 13 respec-
tively.

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Fig.11. Block diagram of s praying system [26]

Tukaram et al. used infrared (IR) green sensor to detect the

green leaves. When green leaves were detected by the sensor,
it started to pump the pesticides otherwise not. Thus, the ma-
chine eliminates the wastage of chemical due to continuous
spraying and reduces environmental pollution [27].
Singh et al. reported that their sprayer was capable of spraying Fig.12. The relation between power rating and volume
850 l/ha to 1280 l/ha in 7.15 hrs at a walking speed of 0.70 m/s. (size) of the solar panel
The fully charged battery could be used to spray 850 L to 1285
L of pesticides or fungicides, which approximately spray 2.5 to
3 acres of land. They concluded that the developed system
would enhance the working capacity of the farmer by reduc-
ing time and fatigue from continuous hand spraying [1].

Details ergonomics studies; heart rate along with postural pa-

rameter of Overall Discomfort (ODS) and Body Part Discom-
fort Score (BDPS) were done by Sinha et al. They found that
the mean heart rate (light work category) and BPDS was low-
est for solar sprayer compared to manual and air-assisted
sprayer indicating lower physiological demand and discom-
fort to the body parts. The spray spectrum was also found uni-
Fig.13. The relation between power rating and weight of
form with the selected nozzle and operating pressure. It
the solar panel
would be considerably enhancing the quality of spray and
ultimately chemical efficacy as well as efficient pest control [9]. The technical specifications of different components used for
The weight of the system was 8 kg and a maximum weight of developing the solar sprayer by some researchers are present-
the system by considering fluid was 23 kg for developing the ed in table 1.
solar-powered sprayer by Chavan et al. The spray discharge
 TABLE 1
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF DIFFERENT COMPONENTS USED FOR DEVELOPING THE SOLAR SPRAYER BY SOME RESEARCHERS
Parts Specifications of solar powered sprayers developed by different researchers
Chavan et al. Kothari et al. Singh et al. Sinha et al.
Tank PVC, 16 L, wt =1 kg 12 L, DIM = 59 x 42 x 14 L
18.5 cm, wt = 4.4 kg
Solar panel Pm = 20 W, wt = 2 kg, DIM = Pm = 18 W, Pm =10 W, Vmp = 16.8V, Imp = Voc =21.57 V, Isc =
49×35×3 cm, Vmp = 17 V, Imp DIM = 397×278×25 mm, 0.66A, Voc = 15V, Isc = 0.33A 3.71 A, Vmp = 17.26
= 1.18 A, Voc = 21 V, Isc = 1.2 wt = 1.6 kg, Imp = 0.66A, Tolerance : ±5% V, Imp = 3.48 A,
A, Tolerance: ± 5% Voc = 12V, Isc = 0.65 A, Iop DIM = 180×360×25 mm DIM = 740 × 675 ×
= 12 A 35 mm, wt = 6kg
Charge con- Capacity: 12V, 5A, Pulse
troller Width Modulation (PWM)
technique
Battery Sealed Lead Acid battery, Po = 144 W, Vop = 12V, Iop Model No. : SPG12032W, Fully charged by
12 V, 9 Ah, DIM = 15×9×6 = 9A, wt = 2 kg, Rs.1200- Capacity= 12V, 8Ah, Po = 96 solar energy with-
cm, wt = 2.5 kg, Constant 1500, Voc = 12 V, Isc = W, Imi = 1.4 A, Standby use : in 2 hours and can
voltage charge with regula- 0.65A 13.6V -13.8V be operated con-
tion, Standby use : 13.5 V- Cycle use: 14.1V-14.4V. Bat- tinuously for 6
13.8 V, Cycle use: 14.5 V – tery Charging time 11.2 hr, hours.
14. 9 V, Imi = 2.4 A Discharge time = 2.66 hr, Facili-
ty to charge by 220V.

Motor Brushless DC motor, 12 V, 84 W, 12V, 3A, 1,600 Model no. : LF1524210 Pm = 20 W, Motor
2.2 A, RPM :0-6000 rpm, 1kg, 1 L/min, 1.6 VOp = 12V, IOp = 3A efficiency = 0.80

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kgf/cm2 , Rs.1500-2000
Wt = 800g

Pump Diaphragm, DIM = 17×6×6 Model No. : LF1524210 Q = 1.83 L/min at 3

cm, wt = 550 gm, Qmax = 3 Qmax = 2.5 to 4.5 L/min at 40 kg/cm2, pump effi-
l/min at 80 psi. In built op- psi or 2.81 kg/cm2 ciency: 0.70, 25%
erating pressure switch to safety factor
cut off the pump from the
motor when the pressure
exceedsIscthe
Voc = Open circuit voltage, maxcircuit
= Short value.current, Vmp = Voltage at maximum power, Imp = Current at maximum power, Weight = wt, Pm = Maxi-
mum power, DIM = Dimension, Po = Power output, Imi = Max initial current, Vop = Operating voltage, Iop = Operating current
The capacity of the spray tank was varied between 12 L to 16 4. SUMMARY & CONCLUSION
L. However, there was no relation between the capacity of the Agriculture operation consists of many tedious processes and
spray tank and power rating of the solar panel. The weight of practices, one of which is the application of pesticides in the
the panel varied from 2 to 6 kg. The power rating of the solar fields to control the pests. In the developing countries, farmer
panel increases its weight raises but the time for charging the carries a sprayer and manually develops pressure and pump
battery decreases if the solar panel is operating at its maxi- the pesticide through a tube. This operation makes the opera-
mum rating [26]. The relation between power rating of solar tor maximum discomfort in lower back, neck, left thigh and
panel and charging time of the battery is shown in Fig. 14. right clavicle of the body. Some farmers of the developing
country carry engine operated sprayer to spray pesticides. The
vibration of the engine transmits to human body parts results
in early fatigue and creates long-term health hazards. In addi-
tion, the use of conventional energy i.e. petrol produces pollu-
tants which are harmful to the environment. However, the
solar energy which is available from the sun at free of cost
might be used to operate the spray pump to reduces labor,
vibrations, noise, and cost. This paper investigates available
solar power sprayers and present design, flow chart of fabrica-
Fig.14. The relation between power rating of the solar tion, and circuit design of different sprayers. Some solar oper-
panel and charging time of the battery
ated sprayers have achieved a high level of development and
some commercial success to spray pesticides in the field, of improve application and protect the environment”, The XIV Memo-
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