Mathematical models for dispersal of aerosol droplets in an agricultural setting : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

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dc.contributor.authorHarper, Sharleen Anne
dc.date.accessioned2009-05-07T02:48:11Z
dc.date.availableNO_RESTRICTIONen_US
dc.date.available2009-05-07T02:48:11Z
dc.date.issued2008
dc.description.abstractAgrichemical spray drift is an issue of concern for the orcharding industry. Shelterbelts surrounding orchard blocks can significantly reduce spray drift by intercepting droplets from the airflow. At present, there is little information available with which to predict drift deposits downwind, particularly in the case of a fully-sheltered orchard block. In this thesis, we develop a simple mathematical model for the transport of airborne drifting spray droplets, including the effects of droplet evaporation and interception by a shelterbelt. The object is for the model to capture the major features of the droplet transport, yet be simple enough to determine an analytic solution, so that the deposit on the ground may be easily calculated and the effect of parameter variations observed. We model the droplet transport using an advection-dispersion equation, with a trapping term added to represent the shelterbelt. In order to proceed analytically, we discretise the shelterbelt by dividing it into a three-dimensional array of blocks, with the trapping in each block concentrated to the point at its centre. First, we consider the more straightforward case where the droplets do not evaporate; solutions are presented in one, two and three dimensions, along with explicit expressions for the total amount trapped and the deposit on the ground. With evaporation, the model is more difficult to solve analytically, and the solutions obtained are nestled in integral equations which are evaluated numerically. In both cases, examples are presented to show the deposition profile on the ground downwind of the shelterbelt, and the corresponding reduction in deposit from the same scenario without the shelterbelt.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10179/814
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherMassey Universityen_US
dc.rightsThe Authoren_US
dc.subjectSpray driften_US
dc.subjectOrchardsen_US
dc.subject.otherFields of Research::230000 Mathematical Sciences::230100 Mathematics::230108 Harmonic and Fourier analysisen_US
dc.titleMathematical models for dispersal of aerosol droplets in an agricultural setting : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Mathematics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealanden_US
dc.typeThesisen_US
massey.contributor.authorHarper, Sharleen Anne
thesis.degree.disciplineMathematicsen_US
thesis.degree.grantorMassey Universityen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen_US
thesis.degree.levelDoctoralen
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)en_US
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