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Technical Insights
Irrigation filtration: the filter follows what the water carries
Filtration is decided by the clogging risk factors in the water, not by a general assessment; backwash and headworks layout belong to the same calculation.
AGIMEX Engineering TeamPublished: Updated:
The decision follows the type of clogging risk
Filtration is decided by the type of clogging risk the water carries, not by a general assessment of the source. Suspended solids, sand, organic matter and biological growth clog through different mechanisms and call for different answers. Of two sources with similar turbidity, one may be handled by a disc filter while the other needs hydrocyclone pre-separation and an automatic filter station. Selection follows the analysis and the way those factors change through the season.
Filtration degree follows the dripper
The filtration degree is set against the flow-path (labyrinth) dimensions of the selected dripper and is expressed in microns or mesh. When the filter is chosen independently of the dripper, the narrowest point in the system is left unprotected, so the two decisions are taken together. Sand and heavy particles are separated ahead of filtration by hydrocyclone so that filter capacity is not spent on them. Pre-separation is a preliminary step and does not replace the filter.
| What the water carries | Option |
|---|---|
| Sand and heavy particles | Hydrocyclone pre-separation ahead of filtration; a preliminary step that does not replace the filter |
| Fine filtration | Filtration degree set against the flow-path (labyrinth) dimensions of the selected dripper, in microns or mesh; filter and dripper are chosen together |
| Several clogging factors, or a load that changes through the season | Selection follows the analysis and the seasonal change; for example hydrocyclone pre-separation and an automatic filter station |
| Irrigation continues during backwash | Additional flow is required; that requirement returns to the sizing of the headworks |
| Backwash trigger | Pressure differential rather than elapsed time; pressure gauges or a differential-pressure sensor placed from the outset |
Backwash is designed into the system
Backwash is part of the system, not an accessory. Three questions are settled in design: whether irrigation continues during flushing, where the flush water goes, and what triggers the flush. An architecture that does not interrupt irrigation requires additional flow, and that requirement returns to the sizing of the headworks. When the trigger is pressure differential rather than elapsed time, the system responds to the actual state of the load — which requires the differential to be readable.
Sequence and measurement at the headworks
The order of equipment at the headworks is not arbitrary. Hydrocyclone, filters, fertigation unit and measurement points follow a logic. The position of fertiliser injection relative to the filter affects both filtration demand and the risk of precipitation. Filter condition is read from the pressure differential across the filter; pressure gauges or a differential-pressure sensor are placed from the outset. A headworks that cannot be maintained becomes a headworks that is not maintained.
Operating routine and measurement
Filtration is not a component that runs itself once installed. Pressure differential across the filter, backwash frequency and deviation in zone flow are read together. What to check, and in what order, when one of these trends shifts is written during commissioning. AGIMEX is responsible for the source assessment, the choice of filter type and filtration degree, the backwash architecture and the measurement points.
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