Introduction

Vertical gardens or wall gardens are becoming more and

more popular around the world, especially on offices and
residential buildings walls, or airports and stations front walls.
Vertical gardening process allows grass, or flowers to grow
on surfaces of walls and making the building look greener
and fresher. As water is the basic need for all living
organisms to live and grow, whether it is human, animal, or a
plant. Therefore, it is to provide sufficient and correct amount
of water to vertical gardens at the right time.

(Oecd.org, 2018) states that farming uses 70% of water used

in the world today for irrigation purposes. However,
increasing the global population and climate change, more
Figure 1 Picture of a Vertical garden
natural water and food will be required. Therefore,
on a wall in London
automated irrigation system can help to reduce the water
wastage and reduce men effort in agriculture for irrigation
purposes in gardening and farming applications.

Irrigation is a process where crops and plants receive their water source either by traditional methods, or
by automated irrigation systems. Traditional method is manual irrigation, where water flows to crops and
plants inside men made canals and ditches. The manual irrigation method is simple, but wastes large
amount of water and it is more labor demanding. Therefore, automated irrigation system is an appropriate
approach to prevent, or to minimize the water wastage and likewise to reduce labor cost. Furthermore,
the benefits of having an automated irrigation system can deliver the right amount of water at required
time to plants, which can help to improve the productivity and growth any plants or crops.

Problem

Watering vertical gardens is a difficult process, such as making sure

that a vertical garden receives enough water to moisture the flowers or
the grass and avoiding excessive water flows. As excessive water in
vertical gardens can flow down on walls, which then can result in
damaging walls and painting. Furthermore, water is wastage is another
issue along with energy that was used to deliver the water to the
garden. (Gardening, 2018) states that users can choose to irrigate
their gardens by sitting up a timer, monitoring it from their mobile
phones via WIFI and Bluetooth. However, sitting up timer to start and
stop an irrigation automatically still may not be a good option to reduce
water wastage. As timer cannot check the soil conditions, whether
water is needed or not.
Objective

The objectives are to design and develop an automated irrigation system that can deliver enough water to
moisture a vertical garden and minimizing the water wastage. Taking into account the problems
mentioned above, the proposed smart irrigation system uses a number of soil moisture sensors, which
need to be located in the garden at various locations to detect the soil moisture content levels. When the
moisture level goes below the required level. A signal will be send to the microcontroller Arduino Uno,
which will compare the data with the registered data in the system. If the readings are lower than the
registered data, then Arduino Uno will activate the relay module, which turns on the solenoid valve and
releasing water flow. Otherwise, the system continues to wait for further signals from the any of the soil

moisture sensors.
Proposed Design Concept

Background
Arduino Uno
Arduino Uno is a microcontroller that runs on an
open-source platform used for building electronic
projects. Arduino provides a physical
programmable circuit board often referred to as
microcontroller, along with a software package
called IDE (Integrated Development Environment)
that runs on your computer to create codes and upload it to the physical board or
microcontroller. You can enter instructions into Arduino board via a computer to tell the
microcontroller what to do. The Arduino boards can be used to read inputs from light on a
sensor, touch on a sensor or button and the board turns it into an output for activating a motor,
turning a on buzzer or an LED.
The most popular microcontroller of Arduino is the Arduino Uno shown on the right, which can
be used as the brain of a simple or an advance electronic project.
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Guide/Introduction

Relay module
Relay module is an electrically operated switch, which
requires a small voltage as 5v dc power source to
function. In other words, it acts like a programmable
switch. The purpose of a relay module in an electrical
circuit is to turn on, or turn off an electrical appliance,
which may need larger voltage than 5 volts. Since
microcontrollers are not able to withstand high
voltage, thus, a relay module can be applied to keep a larger power source isolated from
entering the microcontroller in order not to damage it.

Working principle of a relay module is simple. The VCC

pin is connected to 5v and GND pin to ground pin on
Arduino. The signal pin can be connected to any of the
digital pins on Arduino. The power source needs to be
connected normally open NO and the cable from the
electrical appliance can be connect to the normally
closed NC port. Whenever the relay module receives
instructions via the signal pin as a 5v power, it activates and connects the circuit allowing
electrical current from mains to flow to the appliance.
http://osoyoo.com/2017/08/28/arduino-lesson-1-channel-relay-module/

Soil Moisture Sensor

Specifications
Input Voltage 3.3 – 5v
Output Voltage 0 4.2v
Input Current 35mA
Output Signal Analog and Digital
Output Max signal 1025 pulses

Working principle
The VCC pin connects to DC 5v and the GND pin to
ground. The DO connects to Digital pins on
Arduino and the AO pin connects to the Analog
pins on Arduino. However, in most cases only the AO pin needs to be connected to one of the
Analog pins on Arduino in order to receive the input signal. The VCC and GND pins carry input
voltage to the main module of the sensor, where then the voltage passes through black and red
wires to the probes. Whenever the probes are stabbed into a soil to check its moisture content
level, the probes will pass electrical current through the soil that is surrounding them. The
current that passes through the probes in to the soil will measure the electrical resistances of the
soil, then the sensor will generate electrical signals and send them back to the microcontroller as
electrical pulses. http://www.circuitstoday.com/arduino-soil-moisture-sensor

Solenoid Valve
Solenoid valve is an electromechanical controlled valve that applies electrical current to stop and
release or to control fluid flows whenever required. Depending on the requirements of a flow rate,
solenoids are manufactured normally closed or normally open status. Furthermore solenoid valves come
for varies types of fluid flow applications, such as 2/2 ways, 3/2 ways 4/2 ways, or even 5/2ways and
they can be directed operated, semi direct operated or indirect operated. A solenoid valve mainly
consists of the following parts as shown in figure x for a 2/2 way solenoid valve:

1. Main body of valve, the inside design and shape of a

solenoid valve can vary depending on its applications.
Since the fluid flows through the main body of a valve,
therefore, it is important to use durable materials for main
body of a solenoid valve, so it can with stand the stresses
from fluid flow.
2. Inlet port, this port is normally the upstream and this is
where fluid is present always when the valve is in use.
3. Outlet port, this is the downstream port, which allows fluid
to pass once the valve is open.
4. Solenoid/Coil, solenoid is the unit of a solenoid valve,
which applies electrical current to the copper coil windings
https://www.brighthubengineering.com/manufacturing-technology/56397-parts-of-the-solenoid-
valve-how-solenoid-valve-works/ inside it to produce electromagnetic force. The solenoid is the
main controlling part of a solenoid valve, which uses electrical charge.
5. Coli winding, the coils are winded inside the solenoid, which use electrical current, this results into
electrical magnetic fields, or electromagnetic force.
6. Lead wires, they carry electrical current or charge to the solenoid.
7. Plunger or piston, the piston moves up and down due to
electromagnetic force and spring force.
8. Spring, this force helps the plunger to go back to its original
position, once the solenoid is de-charged.
9. Orifice, as shown in number 9, this allows the fluid to flow
from upstream to downstream. For directly controlled
solenoid valves, the plunger closes and opens orifice to
control fluid flows.

Direct operated solenoid valve

The direct acting solenoid valve has very simple working principle. The fluid flows through a small
orifice, which can be closed by a plunger with a rubber gasket at the bottom. A small spring holds the
plunger down to keep the orifice closed. An electric coil is positioned around the plunger, when it gets
electrically energised, a magnetic field is produced which pulls the plunger upwards to the centre of the
coil. This results in opening the orifice and allows fluid
flow. This is for a normally closed solenoid valve (NC).
However a normally open (NO) solenoid valve works the
opposite way. The figure x shows a normally close solenoid
valve, on the left when the coils get electrically energised,
the plunger is up on the right and water flows is open.

https://tameson.co.uk/solenoid-valve-types.html

Indirect operated solenoid valve

Indirect operated also known as servo, or pilot operated solenoid valve uses the differential pressure of
fluid over the top ports to open and close. Usually this type of solenoid value needs a minimum of
0.5bar or 50kpa to operate. Figure x shows a 2/2 way
indirect operated solenoid valve where on the left, the
valve is closed and on the right side, it is open. The flexible
membrane stops the fluid flow due to fluid’s pressure
from top side. The small hole allows the pressure to
balance on both sides of the flexible membrane.

1. When the solenoid gets electrically energised, thus the

plunger moves up.
2. The small port opens.
3. This allows the pressure to increase under the membrane
4. Pressure decreases on top side of the flexible membrane and the orifice continues to open allowing
the maximum flow of fluid.
5. When the solenoid gets de-energised, the small port closes.
6. Fluid pressure increases on the top side of membrane and blocks pilot port.
7. The fluid flow shuts.

Semi direct operated solenoid valve

The semi direct operated solenoid valve combines the

working principle of direct and indirect operated solenoid
valve. The semi direct operated solenoid value uses the
differential pressure for closing and opening, but unlike
indirect operated. The semi direct can operate from as
lower as zero bar. The figure x shows a semi directed
operated solenoid valve, where on the left it is closed and
on the right side shows open.

1. When the solenoid gets electrically energised, thus the plunger moves up.
2. The small port in the centre of the membrane opens.
 3. This allows small fluid flow
4. The upper chamber pressure drops due to small fluid flow, while the lower changer pressure
increases.
5. The membrane continues to open, as the pressure increases in the lower chamber and allows
the maximum fluid flow.
6. When the electrical current is interrupted, the spring force makes the plunger to go back to
closed position.
7. The membrane closes the pilot port and the fluid flow shuts.

Solenoid valve flowrate

The flow resistance of a solenoid valve depends on the shape of the valve body and the diameter of its
orifice. For larger fluid flows, the larger the flow, the bigger the orifice will need to be. For solenoid
valves, kv is the coefficient that represents the flow resistance valve. The flow rate through solenoid
valve can be calculated as:

Q=kv
√ dp (m3/hour)
SG
https://tameson.co.uk/selection-guide.html

Where: Q = volumetric flow rate and the units are cubic meter per hour as the
kv value of the flow is per hour of time.
kv = flow rate coefficient of valve, usually the manufacture provides this.
dp = change in pressure for inlet and outlet fluid flow.
SG = 1 = Specific gravity of water

Theoretical calculations
Water inside the water resevoir

Since the water inside the water reservoir will be stationary and not moving. Therefore, there will be
only static pressure present due to water inside the reservoir. The static pressure of fluid in the SI units
can be found as

Static pressure of fluid in tank P= ρgh (Pa)

Where ρ density of fluid in this case water, g is gravity and h is the height of fluid present inside the
tank. Density of water depends on temperature and at 20°C, water has a density of 998 kg/m3

The Pressure Drop ΔP

The water in the reservoir has static pressure and due to the static pressure present, the water will flow
to lower heights. If we wish to send water flower lower heights to higher places. A water pump must be
used to apply pressure on a fluid in order it can flow to the required heights. The change in pressure, or
pressure drop of the flow can be found as:

8 µLVavg
Pressure drop in laminar flow Δp= p1 −p 2= (Pa)
R2
Where: p1 = inlet pressure
p2 = outlet pressure
L = length of pipe
Vavg = average velocity of fluid
R = D/2 the radius of pipe
µ = dynamic viscosity in kg/m.s, the dynamic viscosity of a fluid tells how hard a fluid is to flow.

Laminar/Turbulan flow

Re ≤ 2300 laminar flow

2300 ≤ Re ≤ 4000 transitional flow
Re ≥ 4000 turbulent flow
Reynolds number shows if a flow is laminar, it flows smothly, turbulant it flows loudly and unsmoothly,
or transition which is mixed. The following conditions can be found applying Reynolds equation.
Considering our flow that is internal flow, thus the dimentionless Renolds number can be found:

Inertia force VaveD ρVavgD

ℜ= = =
Viscous forces v µ
Where: ρ = density of fluid (kg/m3)
Vavg = average velocity of fluid (m/s)
D = diameter of fluid flowing pipe fluid (m)
µ = dynamic viscosity of the fluid (kg/m.s)
v = kinematic viscosity of the fluid (m2/s)

The Volumetric Water Flowrate

The volumetric flowrate of water shows how fast the fluid is leaving the tank in cubic metres per unit of
time. In our problem, we assume the flow is laminar and fully develod. Thus, to calculate the volumetric
flow rate as of water:

From contituetiy Q= Av (m3/s)

Q
Or water velocity v= (m/s)
A
Where Q represents the volumtreic flowrate, A is the cross section area of the pipe, or orifice and v is
the velocity of fluid. Since the water resvoiver will be kept in higher spot than the vertical garden. Thus,
the volumetric flow of the fluid leaving the tank will be due to gravity and it can be calculated as:

Volumetric flow rate due to gravity Q=C d (a) √ 2 gh (m3/s)

Where: h = Height of water inside the tank

d = diameter of outlet
a = cross sectional area of outlet
g = acceleration due to gravity = 9.81 m/s 2
Cd = Discharge coefficient which depends on the shape of the pipe or
orifice that water leaving though it.

Different shapes of orifice and discharge coefficient values

The figure below shows a number of different discharge coefficient C d values along with different shapes
of pipes/orifice for water leaving tank. Shape edge has C d value of 0.81, while shampered edge has C d
value 0.98 and it has no units.
Amount of water used for irrigation

The amount of water used in for irrigation process can be calculated from change in volume of water
inside the tank ignoring.

ΔV = A ( h 1−h2 ) m3

Where: ΔV = Change in water level in the tank (m 3)

A = Area of the tank in (m 2)
h1 = Initial height of water in tank (m)
h2 = Final height of water inside tank (m)

Weight of water inside reservoir

This parameter is important to know if there will be restrictions on the weight of water inside the tank
kept on a roof.

The weight of fluid in tank W =ρAgh=Vρg (N)

W
Or mass in kg, m=
g
Where: ρ = Density of fluid (kg/m3)
A = Area of tank (m2)
h = heigh of fluid (m)
g = 9.81 m/s2 Gravitional force

Results

Calculation of the soil resistance in ohms (Ω)

The soil moisture sensor gives 1025 pulses when its input voltage is 5v and the input current
35mA. To calculate the soil resistance in ohms;
Let Vx be the voltage at x amount of pulses

5 x( Xpulses) 5 x 1017
vx = =4.96 v
1025 1025
The Ohms Law equation can be applied to work out the resistance in ohms (Ω)

V vx
R= = =39 Ω
I 35 x 10−3

Note the above calculation example gives 39Ω resistance, which is quite low resistance and it is due
to the chemical properties of water, as the experimental medium was water. The water has less
electrical resistance as it has lots of free hydrogen ions that carry more electrical charge than in a dried
soil.

Soil Moisture Measurements

http://www.agriinfo.in/default.aspx?page=topic&superid=1&topicid=13
Theoretically, the soil moisture content level inside a sample of a soil can be calculated by taking a soil
sample and recording its original mass and then letting the soil sample to dry. Once the soil sample is well
dried, then the soil sample is reweighted and the soil moisture mass is the difference between the wet and
dried masses. To calculate mass of moisture and the percentage of moisture inside a soil sample, simply
workout as:

Mass of wet soil = wet soil inside the can – mass of the can
= 66.5g - 1.4g
= 65.1g

Mass of dried soil = dried soil inside the can – mass of the can
= 44.4g – 1.4g
= 43.0g
Mass of moisture = mass of wet soil – mass of dried soil
= 65.1g – 43.0g
= 22.1g

Percentage of moisture % = mass of moisture / mass of dried soil x 100

= 22.1g / 43.0g x 100
= 51.4 %

Reference

https://www.haywardflowcontrol.com/assets/documents/flowcontrol/pdf/VessFlow.pdf

https://tameson.co.uk/solenoid-valve-types.html

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/flow-liquid-water-tank-d_1753.html