Overview
ISO 13457:2021 - Agricultural irrigation equipment - Water-driven chemical injector pumps - specifies construction, operational requirements and test methods for water-driven chemical injector pumps used to inject liquid fertilizers and soluble agricultural chemicals (acids, pesticides, etc.) into irrigation systems. The standard applies to pumps intended to operate at water temperatures up to 50 °C, and covers in-line and on-line installations, proportional and non-proportional mixing types. It explicitly excludes backflow prevention functionality and devices based on the Venturi principle.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Scope & applicability: Pumps for injecting routine irrigation chemicals; temperature limit 50 °C; Venturi-based injectors excluded.
- Classification:
- In-line pumps (full-flow and bypass) and on-line pumps (drive water may be ejected or returned).
- Mixing ratio types: proportional (fixed or adjustable) and non-proportional.
- Marking requirements: Manufacturer name/trademark, nominal size, maximum working pressure (pmax), model number, production year/series mark, and flow-direction arrows.
- Materials & UV exposure: Plastic waterways must be opaque or UV resistant; uncovered waterways shall be UV resistant. Chemical-carrying plastics may be transparent. All wetted parts must resist recommended chemicals.
- Safety & functional features: Means to prevent chemical tank emptying when pump pressure drops (e.g., vacuum breaker), check valves to stop irrigation water entering chemical tank, accessible parts for cleaning and filtration. On-line pumps that eject drive water must provide a drain connector.
- Performance & test methods: Mechanical and functional tests include pressure resistance, watertightness of check valves, working-pressure range, resistance to draining, injection rate vs. inlet pressure, drive water ratio tests, proportional injection rate tests, and head-loss measurement for in-line pumps. Durability tests use filtration at 100 µm.
- Defined parameters: Minimum/maximum working pressure, drive water flow/range, injection rate, mixing ratio, stroke volume, maximum suction head.
Applications and who uses it
ISO 13457:2021 is used by:
- Manufacturers of water-driven chemical injector pumps for product design, testing and labeling.
- Test laboratories and QA teams for conformity and performance validation.
- Irrigation system designers and farm engineers specifying injection equipment for fertigation and chemigation.
- Procurement/specification writers preparing tenders and technical contracts.
- Regulatory and certification bodies assessing product compliance for markets.
Practical benefits include standardized performance criteria (mixing ratio, drive water ratio), improved compatibility with irrigation systems, safer chemical handling, and clearer procurement specifications.
Related standards
Keywords: ISO 13457:2021, water-driven chemical injector pumps, agricultural irrigation equipment, fertigation, mixing ratio, drive water ratio, proportional injector, in-line injector, on-line injector.