Design And Construction Of A Smart Irrigation System

ABSTRACF

This work is on a smart Plant Irrigation System useful in watering plants automatically without any human interference. We may call it as Automatic plant irrigation system. We know that people do not pour the water on to the plants in their gardens when they go to vacation or often forget to water plants. As a result, there is a chance to get the plants damaged. This project is an excellent solution for such kind of problems.

This system used basic concept, that is soil have high resistance when it is dry and has very low resistance when it is wet.

By using this concept we will make the system work. We insert two probes in the soil in such a way that that they will conduct when the soil is wet and they will not conduct when the soil is dry. So, when the probes do not conduct, system will automatically detect this condition with the help of HEX inverter which will become high when the input is low.

HEX inverter will trigger the NE555 Timer and this NE555 timer will trigger another NE555 which is connected to the output of first NE555. Now the second NE555 which is configured as astable multivibrator will help to switch on the Electric valve and as result, it will allow the water to flow to the soil.

When the water wet the soil, probes will again conduct and make the output of 7404 low which will make the first NE555 to low and also drive remaining circuit to low. So, automatically it will switch off the valve. 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE

APPROVAL PAGE

DEDICATION

ACKNOWELDGEMENT

ABSTRACT

TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER ONE

• INTRODUCTION
• BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
• PROBLEM STATEMENT
• AIM/OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
• SCOPE OF THE PROJECT
• SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT
• LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT
• APPLICATION OF THE PROJECT
• METHODOLOGY
• DEFINITION OF TERMS
• PROJECT ORGANISATION

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

• REVIEW OF THE RELATED STUDY
• HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
• REVIEW OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF IRRIGATION
• IMPACT OF IRRIGATION SYSTEM ON SOCIETY

 CHAPTER THREE

3.0      METHODOLOGY

3.1    SYSTEM BLOCK DIAGRAM

3.2    COMPONENTS LIST

3.3    SYSTEM CIRCUIT DIAGRAM

3.3   CIRCUIT DESCRIPTION

CHAPTER FOUR

TESTING AND RESULT ANALYSIS

4.1   CONSTRUCTION PROCEDURE

4.2 CASING AND PACKAGING

4.3 ASSEMBLING OF SECTIONS

4.5  TROUBLESHOOTING

4.6   APPLICATIONS

CHAPTER FIVE

• CONCLUSIONS
• RECOMMENDATION

5.3     REFERENCES

CHAPTER ONE

1.0                                                        INTRODUCTION

1.1                                         BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT

Farmers have always played a significant role in our society as they provide the world’s population with food. However, one may forget that, not only do they provide food but they also provide energy, which nowadays, is of paramount importance, especially as in light of renewable energies. Indeed, farmers can produce energy from the wind, the sun or the biomass and they can use it for their own farm, or, if they have a surplus, resell it to companies.

Solar energy might be one of the easiest ways for farmers to produce energy. Indeed, farmers usually have several large buildings whose roofs are directly under the sun, without being hindered by the shadows of the trees, turning them into an ideal place to settle a photovoltaic system. Therefore, the use of solar energy in agriculture is becoming increasingly popular and the energy produced from this renewable source can be used either on the farm or in the local power grid, providing the farmer with an additional income.

This project is about an automatic plant watering system. The system reads the moisture content of the soil using HEX inverter and switches ON the water pump when the moisture is below the set limit. When the moisture level rises above the set point, the system switches OFF the pump.

1.2                                                  PROBLEM STATEMENT

Traditional irrigation system involves labour and consumes time in that farmers have to carry water to the farm. The objective of our project is to reduce this manual involvement by the farmer by using an automated water sprinkling system for irrigation system which purpose is to enhance water use for agricultural crops. The inspiration for this project came from the countries where economy is based on agriculture and the climatic conditions prime to shortage of rains and scarcity of water. The farmers working in the farm lands are only dependent on the rains and bore wells for irrigation of the land. Even if the farm land has a water-pump, manual involvement by farmers is also required to turn the pump on/off when needed. The project is intended to cultivate an automatic irrigation system which controls the pump motor ON/OFF on sensing the moisture content of the soil. In the field of agriculture, use of appropriate technique of irrigation is essential. The advantage of using this technique is to reduce human intervention and still certify proper irrigation.

1.3                                                   AIM OF THE PROJECT

The water sprinkling system for irrigation is defined as a system that distributes water to targeted area. Basically, it is meant for agriculture purposes. The efficiency of the irrigation is based on the system used. Since antiquity, the human life is based on agriculture and the irrigation system is one of the tools that boost agriculture. The main aim of this work is design an automatic controlled water sprinkler for irrigation system.

1.4                                                   OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT

At the end of this work, students involved will be able to:

• Monitor the moisture content of the soil using a soil moisture sensor
• Turn the motor ON when the soil moisture falls below a certain reference value and if there is enough water in the tank.

1.5                                                 SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

This system used basic concept, that is soil have high resistance when it is dry and has very low resistance when it is wet.

By using this concept we will make the system work. We insert two probes in the soil in such a way that that they will conduct when the soil is wet and they will not conduct when the soil is dry. So, when the probes do not conduct, system will automatically detect this condition with the help of the HEX inverter which will become high when the input is low.

1.6                                         SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROJECT

This device supply water to the farm only when the need arises, that is, when the sensor detects shortage of moisture in the farm. It save time and labour for the user.

1.7                                           LIMITATION OF THE PROJECT

Dealing with the limitation, the only limitation seen in this work is that:

1. The operating costs are quite high compare to traditional means of irrigation.
2. It cannot work properly when the sensor is rusted.

1.8                                         APPLICATIONS OF THE PROJECT

• The circuit can be used to measure the loss of moisture in the soil over time due to evaporation and intake.
• Minimizes water waste and improves plant growth.
• The circuit is designed to work automatically and hence, there is no need for any human intervention.
• The project is intended for small gardens and residential environment. By using advanced soil moisture sensor, the same circuit can be expanded to large agricultural fields.

1.9                                                        METHODOLOGY

To achieve the aim and objectives of this work, the following are the steps involved:

1. Study of the previous work on the project so as to improve it efficiency.
2. Draw a block diagram.

• Test for continuity of components and devices,

1. Design and calculation for the device was carried out.
2. Studying of various component used in circuit.
3. Construction of the circuit was carried out.

• Finally, the whole device was cased and final test was carried out.

1.10                                           DEFINITIONS OF TERMS

• Water Withdrawal– The volume of freshwater abstraction from surface or groundwater for an intended purpose. Withdrawal is directly measurable as the quantity of water withdrawn from the source for a particular activity over a specific period of time.
• Water Consumption– The volume of withdrawn water that is evaporated or transpired for an intended purpose.
• Drip Irrigation– Drip irrigation is sometimes called trickle irrigation and involves dripping water onto the soil at very low rates (2-20 litres/hour) from a system of small diameter plastic pipes fitted with
• outlets called emitters or drippers. Water is applied close to plants so that only part of the soil in which the roots grow is wetted (Figure 60), unlike surface and sprinkler irrigation, which involves wetting the whole soil profile. With drip irrigation water, applications are more frequent (usually every 1-3 days) than with other methods and this provides a very favourable high moisture level in the soil in which plants can flourish.[1]
• Flood Irrigation– A group of application techniques involving distribution of water in a field by the gravity flow of water over the soil surface. The soil acts as the medium in which the water is stored and the conveyance medium over which water flows as it spreads and infiltrates. Flood irrigation is characterized by uncontrolled distribution of water.
• Crop Yield– Weight of economically valuable crop that is harvested per unit of harvested area.
• Baseline Activity– Adoption of traditional irrigation practices that are relatively inefficient with water use. Traditional irrigation methods such as flood irrigation typically use gravity to disperse water across the field.
• Project Activity– Implementation of irrigation practices that promote higher irrigation efficiency, thereby reducing water withdrawal volume.
• Sprinkler Irrigation– A method of applying irrigation water which is similar to natural rainfall. Water is distributed through a system of pipes usually by pumping. It is then sprayed into the air through sprinklers so that it breaks up into small water drops before falling to the ground. The pump supply system, sprinklers and operating conditions are typically designed to enable a uniform application of water.[2]

1.11                                                      PROJECT ORGANISATION

The work is organized as follows: chapter one discuses the introductory part of the work,   chapter two presents the literature review of the study,  chapter three describes the methods applied,  chapter four discusses the results of the work, chapter five summarizes the research outcomes and the recommendations.