FogDragon Frost Protection

The FogDragon has been developed to protect vineyards and orchards against radiation frost (springtime ground frost), which accounts for about 85% of all frost damage, furthermore, it was successfully used even in black frost. A single FogDragon is able to protect 10 hectares, with minimal operational costs and maintenance.

When the fuel – placed in the combustion chamber of the FogDragon – is ignited, the machine distributes the resulting heat and smoke in the plantation. The towing tractor drives the fan of the machine via the PTO shaft. The fan sucks in the air for combustion through the regulated air intakes and cools the air between the combustion chamber and the double-sided wall of the machine. The cooling air is mixed with the flue gas and thus a uniform temperature medium is created and dispersed. From the water tank, a high-pressure pump injects water into the outgoing hot air stream, thereby increasing the specific weight of the exhausted flue gas and creating water vapor thus helping to keep this insulating medium near the surface of the plantation. The layer of fog is highly efficient in insulating and thus preventing the radiational heat loss of the surface.

Effects of the machine:

Spreads the created smoke and water vapor into the plantation, which insulates the protected area and retains the heat emitted from the Earth’s surface via IR radiation.
It circulates the air, thus facilitating the mixing of the higher warm and lower cold air layers near the surface.
It produces heat through the combustion of the fuel, which increases the ambient air temperature.
Wide range of fuel options

For the operation of the machine, any (non-compactable) biomass fuel with adequate heating value can be used, that is produced as a by-product in agricultural and horticultural production, that is not classified as hazardous waste.

hay, straw or corn bale,
wood chips,
vine-branch bale,
scobs,
logs of wood.