Effect of Different Pipe Wall Thicknesses on Flow Rate of Cylindrical Type Integrated Emitters Used in Drip Irrigation Pipes

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of different pipe wall thickness on the flow rate of cylindrical type integrated emitters used in drip irrigation pipes.Material and Methods: Cylindrical in-line integrated type, non-pressure compensated two drip emitters were considered within the scope of this work. The drip emitters (E1 and E2) manufactured by two different companies were integrated in 1.1, 0.9 and 0.6 mm wall thickness pipes. The emitter flow rate measurements were carried out at five different pressure levels for all drip irrigation pipes.Results: The operating pressure and flow rate relationships for the emitters and drip irrigation pipes at each pipe wall thickness were also determined. In general, it was also observed that when the wall thickness decreased sequentially from 1.1 mm and 0.9 to 0.6 mm, average emitter flow rate increased about 30% based on the brand of the emitter as well as on pressure. The variation of emitters flow rate based on the wall thickness at the nominal pressure of 100 kPa was analyzed statistically. Based on the results, these variations were found statistically significant (P