Parallel-Axis Slurry Reel for Crop Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for applying slurry fertilizer, such as surface spreading and subsoil delivery, face issues like odor, nutrient runoff, crop damage, and soil compaction, particularly when using trailing hoses in conventional reel systems.
Innovation Solution
A slurry reel system with a reel axis parallel to the direction of travel and a unique hose placement and retrieval apparatus, featuring a rotatable reel and adjustable boom, reduces crop damage and soil compaction by smoothly applying slurry through a hose without dragging it across the soil, allowing for efficient distribution and retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a trailing hose is dispensed from the reel carrier in conventional reel systems, then slurry can be delivered to the field, but the hose can damage row crops such as corn and soybeans, especially when turns are made
Solution Approach 1:
The reel axis is reoriented from perpendicular to parallel with the direction of travel, changing the spatial dimension of hose deployment. This dimensional change allows the hose to be paid out in a direction that avoids row crops while still delivering slurry to the field, eliminating crop damage during turns
2Ease of manufacture
If slurry is spread on the surface of the soil, then application is simple, but strong odor remains and nutrient runoff into rivers and streams occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The hose acts as an intermediary delivery mechanism that transports slurry from the carrier to the field without requiring the carrier to travel over the field. This allows subsoil injection delivery method to be used, which places slurry underground to eliminate odor and prevent nutrient runoff, while the hose mediates the material transfer
3Ease of operation
If a fertilizer knife is used for subsoil delivery, then slurry can be delivered underground, but only a very narrow band of fertilizer is applied having high concentration of nitrogen and other nutrients
Solution Approach 1:
The hose is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be positioned at different locations. By using multiple hose segments or a long single hose that can be positioned across a wider area, the system distributes slurry across a broader band of the field, reducing nutrient concentration in any single location while maintaining subsoil delivery
4Productivity
If a large capacity reel system is used for maximum load utilization, then working lengths of 700 meters or more are achieved, but forces on the hose increase and damage to row crops worsens
Solution Approach 1:
By changing the reel orientation to parallel with travel direction, the hose is paid out in a direction perpendicular to the row crops, reducing the mechanical forces exerted on the crops. This dimensional change allows long working lengths to be achieved without the hose dragging across or pressing down on the crops during turns
Data Source
AI summary
This invention is directed to a device for applying slurry manure beneath the soil or on top of the soil with reduced crop displacement by a trailing feeder hose. More specifically, the invention is directed to an improvement of the prior art slurry reel system. The slurry reel system of the present invention places the axis of the reel spool parallel with the direction of travel instead of the conventional perpendicular orientation. This invention also utilizes a unique hose placement and retrieval apparatus or boom.