Glossary of Irrigation Terms

A valve is a device used in irrigation systems to control the flow of water. There are several types of valve used in pressurized systems and these vary in form and function.

Variable Frequency Drives have many and varied uses over a range of applications in industry. In irrigation, a VFD is an electronic device controlled from an electric panel and attached to the irrigation pump motor. It's used to vary the frequency and voltage supplied to the pump motor. Frequency (or hertz) is related to the speed (RPM) of a motor; the higher the frequency, the higher the RPM. The VFD effectively varies the speed of the pump motor according to need. For this reason it's considered a useful tool in pumping efficiency.

The Victaulic company develops and manufactures mechanical pipe joining systems. They are the originator of the Victaulic coupling, a grooved component that joins mechanical pipes together securely rather than butt the two ends of a pipe together to form a joint. Devised in the early 1900s in England by an officer in the Royal Engineers, grooved coupling pipe joining systems were a concept for a special kind of joint designed to join pipes or cylinders employed in the transportation of gases or chemicals under high pressure. The invention was patented as the victaulic pipe joint.