A new cleaning nozzle designed to rinse pesticide concentrate residues from the inside of containers faster, more reliably and using less water was seen in action for the first time at this year’s Cereals 2009 event, working in a specially made, see-through pesticide container.
Sprayer operators using the ProClean nozzle will spend less time and effort rinsing containers than with existing devices, allowing them to concentrate on the crucial task of filling the sprayer with the correct chemicals, in the right quantity and in the recommended order.
“Good container cleaning is no longer an option, it’s essential if containers are to be presented in acceptable condition for recycling,” Hypro EU product manager Roger James said. “Yet we know some operators can spend a minute or more rinsing out each container – and that adds considerably to the time taken to fill a sprayer ready for work.”
Hypro EU’s objective in developing the ProClean water-driven rotating nozzle was to achieve triple-rinse standards of cleaning in a single, quick process.
“In our tests, the new nozzle reduced the cleaning time by up to 50% compared to alternative nozzles, and it worked well on all container sizes,” Mr James added. “When filling a sprayer can involve as many as 20 containers, this level of performance represents a considerable time saving.”
The effectiveness of the rinsing nozzle’s jets is such that it uses less water. In standardised tests comparing performance with an alternative nozzle, the ProClean unit washed the inside of a five-litre container using half the amount of water and completed the task in just 7.5 seconds instead of 15 seconds. With a 20-litre container, the new nozzle trimmed 20 seconds and six litres of water from the process.
“All sprayers have a finite supply of clean water on board; the new nozzle makes more efficient use of that supply,” Mr James said.
The ProClean nozzle, which retails for £29.97, can be retro-fitted to most chemical induction bowls, either straight on to a BSP half-inch parallel thread water supply coupling, or using an adapter.
A constant pressure push valve, which opens easily regardless of water pressure, is also available if required and a ProClean tank wash nozzle is being introduced for efficient internal cleaning of sprayer tanks.
For more information visit: www.hypro-eu.com.
