Selection of Design Parameters for a Slurry Injection Tool
Abstract. Injection has been recognized as an effective method for land application of liquid slurry. Optimization design is essential for developing higher-performance injection tools and identifying potential improvement of existing tools. In this study, design parameters of an injection tool were determined through minimizing the tool draft force with constraints which ensured that the desired amount of slurry can be injected into the soil without slurry being exposed on the soil surface. Four sweeps with different working widths (50, 110, 180, and 250 mm) and a constant rake angle of 15° were selected through applying the optimization approach. The four sweeps were tested at different working depths (75, 100, and 125 mm below soil surface) in a field with loamy sandy soil. The results showed that draft force and soil cross-sectional area tilled had similar trends as predicted in the optimization in terms of the effects of sweep width and working depth. Among all the combinations of sweep width and working depth, the 180 mm sweep working at 100 mm depth had the best performance, as indicated by its lowest draft force and most favorable soil surface profile for covering injected slurry.