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Irrigation & Sprinkler Control ▷ Expert Advice

Reliable sprinkling and irrigation with robust pump control ✓ Outdoor control cabinet ✓ Perfect automation of your irrigation ✓ High potential for savings ✓ Customized software development

 

 

Pump control for irrigation

Irrigation, sprinkling, water management – optimal flow and perfect pressure in the system are just as crucial for first-class irrigation as reliability and ease of operation. The reliable SPC pump control with GPS monitoring in the modular outdoor control cabinet regulates pressure and flow as needed. This results in significant energy savings and water conservation. In addition, pressure reduction with smooth pressure changes enabled by the special PID control for irrigation applications provides additional benefits. These features help protect the piping system, resulting in fewer leaks and less water loss. As a result, the convenient control extends the life of the piping system and reduces the need for capital investment. Based on experience with many irrigation applications, the ST variable speed drives in the SPC pump control system are expected to consume 35% less energy compared to alternative pump control systems.

Pump control irrigation

Irrigation automation reduces labor and provides very precise irrigation. Pressure gauges and meters monitor system performance and diagnose potential problems. Low pressure and/or increased flow rates during normal operation may indicate a leak. Reliable irrigation control can be achieved through two types of pump controls: open-loop systems and closed-loop systems. Open-loop systems do not include feedback. The amounts and timing of irrigation are determined by the operator. As a simple irrigation control system, these can be operated with a system clock, for example, for flushing at preset times. Because wet areas by definition have significant rainfall, soil moisture can change unpredictably, making it difficult to schedule irrigation. A closed-loop system therefore offers many advantages. Automating irrigation using feedback can prevent chemical leaching and reduce pumping costs by providing irrigation only when the crop needs it. The monitoring of the irrigation systems is GSM supported and easy to operate from a smartphone.

 

Highlight pump control irrigationExpert advice pump control

  • Lightning protection
  • Weatherproof
  • SMS dispatch in case of malfunction
  • Remote control possible
  • Pulse counter
  • Integration of various sensors (pressure sensor, humidity sensors)
  • Installation and commissioning service

 

The technology and performance in detail

The pump control for irrigation and spray irrigation is suitable for various applications and purposes. Thanks to the modular design, adaptation to customer-specific solutions is possible. Convenience, operational reliability and time savings are certainly among the most important arguments in favor of installation. In detail, automated irrigation technology brings numerous other advantages. The following functions and services are available:

 

    • Fault message via GSM

Irrigation equipment malfunctions are always a latent risk for farmers and vegetable growers. If blockages or leaks are not noticed, there is a risk of crop failure due to crops being irrigated unevenly or not at all. The malfunction detection unit integrated into the irrigation controller is therefore doubly useful: firstly, it ensures operational reliability, as leaks can be detected and repaired immediately. It also provides peace of mind and reduces time-consuming manual checks of irrigation to a minimum. The GSM connection is particularly convenient: it allows you to receive fault messages directly via the mobile phone network. A supplementary function is the pipe break detection for large irrigation systems.

 

    • Sensors for irrigation and sprinkling

Central elements of automation are sensors, which also applies to all types of autonomous irrigation from agricultural sprinklers to lawn sprinklers on the sports field. The sensors provide important measurement data, for example on temperature, humidity, solar radiation and other variables. Based on this data, the SPC pump control is able to regulate the irrigation of your areas according to demand. In a fully networked and automated system, this is possible without manual intervention.

 

    • Control and monitoring

At the heart of automatic irrigation is the controller. As described, it is supplied with data from the sensors and regulates the flow rate of water as required. At the same time, the data node in the switch cabinet provides an ideal access point for monitoring and controlling the system. The totality of the measurement results provides you with a transparent overview of the progress of the irrigation and the condition of the soil. In addition, you as the user can make changes via control panels and screens if desired. While the automatic control is usually installed decentrally at the pump on site, system monitoring can also be done from a central location away from the green area, greenhouse or cultivation area.

 

    • Pressure management according to demand

How does irrigation control work? An important part of success is optimized pressure management. The frequency converter is responsible for this. It regulates the pump’s performance by controlling the speed. This type of pump control is particularly energy-efficient, as it does not require conventional pushing of the pipe. As a general rule, a lower speed reduces not only the delivery pressure but also the head and power consumption. Demand-based control thus not only ensures optimum supply to your plants, but also saves working time, energy costs and water at the same time.

 

    • Special cases of irrigationExpert-advice-pump-control

In the context of irrigation technology, there are some areas of application with special requirements. These concern both the type of irrigation and the demand of the plants. The SPC pump control offers you the possibility to adjust the irrigation system specifically to certain crops and conditions. The most common special cases include:

 

    • Sports facilities

In sports facilities, the turf must be resilient. For the sprinkling of golf courses and the irrigation of soccer fields, automatic pump control is therefore advantageous. It ensures an adequate supply of water, which also leads to visually appealing results. You thus get the right technology to please athletes and visitors alike.

 

    • Green areas

One focus of autonomous irrigation technology is on decorative green spaces. Here often occurs the peculiarity that the park or garden is divided into various beds – with a precisely configured automatic sprinkler system, you can perform irrigation even under such conditions with minimal effort.

 

    • Agricultural areas

In agriculture, machines are often used for irrigation, so that the large areas can be irrigated efficiently. Therefore, the pump should be dimensioned accordingly powerful. Modern controls ensure that you can use the resources optimally and that your machines last for a long time.

 

    • Individual software development

In summary, irrigation poses unique challenges for every operation. Therefore, the task of need-based irrigation can only be solved with custom software. For this reason, customized program development is one of the main services we offer. Based on standardized development environments, we realize solutions for every industry.

 

Fields of application and practical examples

The application areas of pump controls in irrigation technology cover a wide range from agriculture to greenkeeping.

A concrete example from practice is a pump control for drip irrigation in the open field. Here, control and fault reporting are implemented via GSM. This means that communication with the system runs conveniently via the mobile network. The automatic pipe break detection system informs the user immediately if it registers a problem (such as a sharp drop in pipe pressure). The risk of crop failures during dry weather periods is thus reduced to a minimum.

Pressure regulation to control the pump is handled by a frequency converter. In principle, this component can also be controlled from any location via GSM.

 

Frequency converters and irrigation systems

Frequency converters not only switch the pump on and off, they also control the speed of the pump motor. Thus, frequency converters provide higher operating efficiency not only for the pump but also for the irrigation system. A typical variable frequency drive uses an electronic pressure sensor installed on the irrigation system line downstream of the pump. The sensor constantly measures the pressure in the irrigation system and sends this information to the inverter. The inverter then varies the speed of the pump depending on the current pressure reading. The desired set pressure is set on the control panel. The frequency converter thus usually replaces the so-called irrigation controller.

 

Customized irrigation controlExpert advice pump control

In summary, it can be seen that an irrigation control system is capable of minimizing the amount of work required, reducing energy costs and ensuring that plants are supplied with water as needed. For this to work, solutions with individually developed software are needed. We specialize in this and offer you complete solutions for irrigation control.

After an in-depth consultation, planning and development, you will receive ready-to-use systems from us that can be used immediately. Whether for the irrigation machine in potato cultivation or the automated lawn sprinkler on the golf course – please contact us and we will realize your irrigation project.