Objective To effectively reduce sediment deposition in polyethylene (PE) rainwater harvesting tanks on the Loess Plateau and mitigate the risk of physical clogging in precision irrigation, this study proposes prevention strategies and products to enhance the efficiency of rainwater harvesting and supplemental irrigation systems. Methods A sedimentation structure was designed for polyethylene rainwater harvesting tanks using SolidWorks. Based on the characteristics of the sedimentation structure and the particle size distribution of clogging sediments, sedimentation patterns were simulated using the Realizable k-ε turbulence model and an Eulerian three-phase (solid-liquid-gas) flow model in Fluent. The influence of sediment particle size (0.01-1 mm) and inlet flow velocity (0.1-1.0 m/s) on sedimentation efficiency was systematically analyzed. Results Numerical simulations showed that the sedimentation structure achieved good sedimentation efficiency, with deviation from theoretical predictions within 3.7%. Specifically, for particles with diameters ≥0.075 mm, the sedimentation efficiency reached 82.6% at flow velocities of 0.2-0.5 m/s. For 0.038 mm particles, the sedimentation efficiency was 69.6% at 0.3 m/s, while fine particles (0.01 mm) achieved an efficiency of 35.7% at 0.1 m/s. Conclusion This study proposes a sedimentation structure device incorporating a filtration zone, filter plug, assembled baffle plate, and water level control mechanism, which demonstrates favorable sedimentation efficiency. These findings provide a theoretical basis and optimized design solution for the long-term operation of polyethylene rainwater harvesting and supplemental irrigation systems on the Loess Plateau.
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