Water Tension Sensor with Non-Sintered Core and Pneumatic Air Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water tension sensors, such as tensiometers, face challenges including air accumulation, limited operating range, and complex maintenance procedures, which hinder accurate and automated irrigation management, especially under varying water tensions.
Innovation Solution
A water tension sensor with a non-sintered core enveloped by a porous support element, featuring air inflow and outflow ducts, and integrated with a pneumatic system for continuous readings and automated irrigation control, allowing for standardized manufacturing and improved responsiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a common tensiometer with a porous capsule is used, then it can measure water tension in the soil, but air accumulates in the water within the porous capsule causing slower response and loss of useful response capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a porous plug made of sintered glass or ceramic material with controlled pore size (0.2-1.0 μm) to prevent air bubble formation while maintaining water flow. This porous structure allows water to pass through but traps air bubbles, eliminating the air accumulation problem in conventional tensiometers and maintaining reliable measurements with fast response.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes air bubbles from the system using a valve mechanism. The air outlet allows trapped air to be periodically released from the measurement chamber, preventing air accumulation that would otherwise slow down the response and reduce measurement reliability.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the working range of the tensiometer is increased to read up to 1500 kPa, then higher water tension can be measured, but the instrument becomes unstable with sudden formation and expansion of air bubbles inside the cavity
Solution Approach 1:
The porous plug with controlled pore size (0.2-1.0 μm) prevents air bubble formation even at high pressures up to 1500 kPa. The fine pore structure maintains stable water column integrity under high tension conditions, eliminating the sudden air bubble formation that causes instability in high-range tensiometers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a pneumatic system with compressed air to apply controlled pressure to the water column, enabling stable measurement at high water tensions. The air pressure is regulated to maintain water column stability while extending the measurable range to 1500 kPa without causing cavitation or air bubble formation.
3Duration of action of stationary object
If maintenance procedures such as adding water and removing air are performed, then the tensiometer can continue operation, but there is a delay in obtaining new valid readings
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor is designed to be maintenance-free with no moving parts that require adjustment. The automated air removal valve and robust porous plug structure eliminate the need for manual water addition and air removal procedures, allowing continuous operation without time delays for maintenance interventions.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated air outlet valve continuously removes air bubbles from the system without requiring manual intervention. This automatic air extraction prevents air accumulation that would otherwise require maintenance procedures and cause measurement delays, enabling uninterrupted continuous operation.
4Ease of manufacture
If a non-sintered core with porous support element is used, then standardized manufacturing and batch production are enabled, but the sensor must prevent air dissipation while maintaining responsiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The porous plug made of sintered glass or ceramic with controlled pore size (0.2-1.0 μm) prevents air bubble formation while allowing water flow. This standardized porous component can be manufactured in batches with consistent properties, enabling standardized production while reliably preventing air dissipation in the water column.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor uses a composite structure combining a non-sintered core (glass spheres or plastic granules) with a sintered porous support element. This composite design enables standardized manufacturing of the core while the sintered porous plug provides reliable air prevention, combining manufacturing ease with functional reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sensor provides reliable and automated water tension measurements across a wide range, reducing maintenance needs and enabling efficient irrigation management by utilizing a pneumatic mechanism that prevents air dissipation and allows for batch production of standardized sensors.
Implementation Method 1
a porous support element, hydraulic contact between the soil and the core promoted by capillary action
Implementation Method 2
pneumatic system for continuous readings... utilizing a pneumatic mechanism that prevents air dissipation
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a water tension sensor with a non-sintered core that allows batches of similar and standard sensors to be manufactured in a simple manner, for operation with air and with an air flow outlet, which sensor can be used to read water tension and trigger dripping. The sensor according to the invention is ideal for manually reading soil water tension and for automating irrigation systems based on a static pressure or gas propulsion mechanism.