Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dheekshita Kumar

Amos Greene Winter, V

Julia Sokol

Jaya Narain

Tristan J Mclaurin

Jeffrey Costello

Systems and methods for modeling ways to best design pressure-controlled drip irrigation emitters are provided. The systems and methods are designed to help reduce activation pressure while maintaining a substantially constant, desirable flow rate in an irrigation system. Various parameters that impact the activation pressure and the flow rate can be adjusted to assist in finding optimal designs. The parameters can at least include one or more of resistances in a flow path, resistances in a membrane cavity, a membrane, or placement of a membrane with respect to a membrane cavity. Optimal designs for such emitters based on the discloses systems and methods are provided, including at least one exemplary embodiment in which a length of a flow path is substantially reduced as compared to known emitters.

Systems and methods for designing and modeling pressure-compensating drip emitters, and improved devices in view of the same

Drip irrigation emitters having low activation pressures, desirable flow rates, and are configured to clog less than existing emitters are provided. The disclosed emitters include membrane cavities that are devoid of a channel and a land to help advance fluid through the cavity, to an outlet, and to an outside environment. Instead, the membrane cavities have various shapes and configurations that, in conjunction with a depressed membrane, help to drive fluid out of the membrane cavity and to an outside environment. The shapes of the membrane cavities include a sinusoidal configuration, a cylindrical shape configuration, and a flat bottom configuration. Various features of such emitters, and methods of using the same, are also provided.

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East Walpole, MA, United States of America

Dheekshita Kumar