The aim of research was to increase the efficiency of water treatment plant station in drip irrigation system by replacing standard filters with hydrocyclone located in the interior of the filter element housing. Experimental study of the proposed water treatment device in a drip irrigation system was carried out on the Volga-Don facility of All-Russian Research Institute of Irrigated Agriculture. The experimental data showed that water quality indicators at the hydrocyclone outlet meet the requirements for irrigation water. The amount of suspended solids fell by more than 3.0 times, the turbidity of the water – by 2.5 times, and its color – more than 28 %. For further purification of irrigation water from toxic components the offered hydrocyclone design with sorption filter element providing a tough, thin and sorption purification was offered. As an example the algorithm for calculating the height of the fluidized zeolite bed and the working speed of extraction process of toxic ferric ions with concentration of 0.4 mEq/l from irrigation water for standard hydrocyclone of GNS-100 with capacity of 5 metres cubic per hour is considered. So, the calculated result of the experiment revealed that to extract ferric ions with concentration of 0.4 mEq./l from water, the height of the fluidized zeolite bed should be equal 0.304 m, and the flow rate in the hydrocyclone drain tube should be within the 0.034–0.370 m/s. Thus, the use of a hydrocyclone with a filter element and sorption filter in potable water package allows to remove fine-dispersing impurities and toxic substances from the irrigation water more efficiently and to increase the reliability of operation of the irrigation system elements.
Key words: vortex flows, hydrocyclone, water treatment, drip irrigation systems, sorption filter, zeolites.
