Pressure Compensating VS Non Pressure Compensating Drippers

As a drip irrigation pipe manufacturer your produced pipe will be used for a wide variety of applications; from small greenhouses and large open farmlands, to exotic applications such as heap leach mines for extracting uranium, gold and other precious metals. While there is a wide range of applications that your pipe can be employed the construction and components used in your drip irrigation pipe will seriously affect the effectiveness of your pipe.

However, environmental conditions can affect emitter operation, such as the varying elevation of an irrigated field. In this article, we will breakdown the uses of Pressure Compensating (PC) drippers are and how they solve such issues in comparison to traditional non pressure compensating emitters.

Why are PC Drippers Necessary?

An important environmental condition that affects the operation of drip irrigation pipe is the angle, inclination, grade, or slope of the irrigated area. In relatively flat terrain a properly operating drip irrigation pipe can achieve predictable and uniform water delivery throughout all dripping points, without requiring special drippers.

However, in areas of uneven terrain, extra-long laterals, and fields of varying elevation, pressure differences across the drip line can lead to non uniform water distribution between drippers. Pressure regulated drip irrigation emitters have been developed to address such issues, with the introduction of various types of Pressure Compensating (PC) drippers.

PC VS Non-PC Drippers

There are a number of factors to take into account when deciding what type of drippers you want to use in your production line. To pick the best one for your customers undertaking, you need to consider a few variables such as; grimy or hard water, elevation changes, and fluctuating water requirements in the length of a drip line. In light of all that, you need to understand the similarities as well as the differences of these drippers.

Similarities of PC & Non-PC Drippers

Both PC and regular non-PC drippers:

Deliver uniform flow throughout a properly designed irrigation system
Must be clog-resistant
Must be durable and resistant to UV radiation.
Must be easy for pipe manufacturers to work with when producing drip irrigation pipe

Differences between PC & Non-PC Drippers

While non-PC drippers are most common in the majority of drip lines, there are a number of cases where a pressure compensating drip emitter is the wisest choice:

PC drippers exhibit stable drip flow within a relatively large pressure range
PC drippers ensure uniform water distribution in varying slopes or long lateral runs
PC drippers self-regulating flow allows the use of more drippers in one line, without compromising dripping flow rate stability

Specialized types of PC drippers exist for servicing different applications: Pressure Compensating Non Drain (PCND) drippers seal when the line pressure falls below a certain threshold, to prevent water from draining out of the pipe at shut-off. Pressure Compensating Anti-Siphon (PCAS) drippers do not allow soil contaminated water to siphon into the drip irrigation line, protecting drippers from clogging.

Storm PC Drippers

DRTS can provide a wide range of drippers, and its drip irrigation pipe production lines work with all dripper types. A high performance PC emitter, made to withstand even the most challenging applications, is our Storm-PC dripper, employing high drip stability over a wide pressure range, due to its advanced pressure compensation ability. It is also self-cleaning, durabile, clog resistant, and is available in multiple types covering a wide range of pipe diameters and flow rates.