About the Solar-Powered Water Pump...
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About the Solar-Powered Water Pump... |
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| 1 Artificial heat lamps are used in this prototype, so it can be demonstrated indoors. Those are 250 watt heat lamps. |
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6 The water is pumped up here. The pump lifts about 1 gallon per hour. | ||
| 2 The solar collector | 7 This tank temporarily collects a quart of water. Then it tips forward, and the water drains into the yellow funnel. In our latest version, this 'over-center' tank has been replaced with a simple siphon, with no moving parts. | |||
| 3 The Boiler - Steam generated in the collector bubbles up the tube into the boiler, where it compresses air. | 8 The cool pumped water runs down into the copper tube in the boiler, and makes the steam inside condense. | |||
| 4 The 'Well' | THEN...The cooling water drains out of the bottom of the boiler, where it can be directed to a holding tank for later use. Condensed steam runs back into the collector, and the well unit refills too. | |||
| 5 The well unit, where the compressed air forces water up through a tube. | That's the end of the cycle, and then pumping starts all over again, automatically. | |||
| This pump serves two purposes. First, it's a demonstration of 'appropriate technology' - a water pump that can be put to use in undeveloped areas. As such, it's a very simple and inexpensive design with few moving parts. Second, it's a transparent, working 'heat engine' used to demonstrate the principles of thermodynamics. The project team did an excellent job of achieving the design and manufacturability objectives, and it was all done on schedule and within budget. | ||||