Que es el Sistema de Riego por Pivotes - TvAgro por Juan Gonzalo Angel

Twitter @juangangel The use of irrigation in agriculture is an ancient practice, developed to provide an adequate amount of water for proper crop development and thus enable food production during the dry season, when rainfall is infrequent. In addition to the various irrigation methods, important factors such as cost, efficiency, and ease of use are also important. To learn about one of these methods and its importance within the agricultural sector, we traveled to the state of Minas Gerais in Brazil, where we learned about the importance of these technologies for the future of agriculture. Center pivot systems irrigate large areas in a circular fashion. They are used in areas where water is a major limiting factor. They are also used in fields where irrigation efficiency is desired, making better use of water and significantly increasing crop yields. Pivot irrigation efficiency is 85% to 90%. It is a system that adapts to undulations in the terrain (it does not need to be flat). Depending on the manufacturer and equipment design, they can be used on terrain with slopes of up to 30% (T-L Irrigation Co. www.tlirr.com). Water distribution along the structure is determined by the manufacturer by selecting the size and spacing of the sprinklers. Sprinklers located near the center of the pivot require less water than those located toward the end. With new pivot sprinkler technologies, manufacturers have managed to further lower sprinkler operating pressures (down to 6-10 psi = 0.42-0.7 bar); and with it, pivot operating pressures (and energy consumption). The largest proportion of the global pivot irrigation market is electrically driven, as there are several manufacturers (Irrifrance, Chamsa, RKD, Valley, Pierce, Rokking, Reinke, Bauer, Ice Innova (Irrigation Components Europe)). The remaining towers are hydraulically driven, manufactured by T-L Irrigation Co. (Hastings, Nebraska, USA). Electrically driven pivots stop their motors hundreds of times a day. The speed of the electric motors is fixed, and each tower in the pivot describes a different circumference. For the pivot to move as a whole, the most advanced towers must stop and wait for the other towers to catch up, then restart. Hydraulically driven pivots automatically regulate the speed of each tower, ensuring they all move simultaneously and at the required speed. Since all the towers are constantly moving, irrigation consistency is greater. There is no difference in energy consumption between an electrically driven pivot and a hydraulically driven pivot. The sum of the sizes of the electric motors in the electrically driven pivot is equal to the size of the motor that drives the hydraulic pump in the hydraulically driven pivot. Where an existing electric pivot exists, it can be replaced with a hydraulic pivot without having to change the wiring that supplies power to the pivot. Electrically driven pivots are more complex. They have control boxes on each tower that operate the electric motors. Maintenance is performed by a knowledgeable electrician. Hydraulically driven pivots have a central hydraulic pump and hydraulic motors on each tower (similar to how heavy earthmoving machinery operates). They are simple to operate and maintain. Crops typically irrigated with center pivot systems include corn, soybeans, wheat, cotton, peanuts, potatoes, sunflowers, alfalfa, sorghum, sugar beets, vegetables, natural pastures, etc. There are also center pivot installations where sprinklers have been replaced with drip lines, allowing drip irrigation for some crops, but at a lower installation cost. Corrosion causes electric pivots and their complex drive systems to malfunction over time. This is exacerbated when fertigation is used (for example, with urea and phosphoric acid). Pivots can be operated by simple control panels or even by complex computerized systems with telephone or radio communication. In this case, the pivot can, for example, operate depending on soil moisture or weather conditions. Source: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposi... Juan Gonzalo Angel Restrepo www.tvagro.tv