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Studies on the Performances of Manual Pumps

M. ABDULLAH
Senior Scientific Officer
Farm Machinery and Process Engineering Division, BARI, Gazipur, Bangladesh

S. M. I. Hossain
Assistant Agricultural Engineer
SRTI, Ishurdi, Pabna, Bangladesh

M. A. ZAMAN
Associate Professor
Department of Farm Power and Machinery, BAU, Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Abstract/ Executive Summary:

Manual pumps, operating at suction heads below 6 m, are becoming increasingly popular in the rural areas of Bangladesh. Four promising designs of the manual pumps that have been developed in Bangladesh and U. K. were selected for experimentalevaluation. These were Bangladesh Rower Pump, Twin Treadle Pump (UK version) and Tara Pump. A test programme was designed and carried out in order to evaluate the performance and suitability of these pumps for small-scale irrigation in Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Rower was the best in respect of mechanical and overall efficiency up to 6 m suction head. For lift up to 3 m, the UK Rower gave higher discharge than the other version and for suction lift above 8 m, the Tara Pump was the best.

Keywords: Manual pump, Power and mechanical efficiency, Design of the pumps, Shortfalls pumps

Location: Sugarcane Research and Training Institute and the Regional Experiment Station of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Jamalpur, Bangladesh

Start Date:

End Date:

Program Area: Farm Mechanization

Commodity: Performance evaluation

Objectives:

(i) To evaluate the performance characteristics of the selected manual pumps in relation to head, discharge, power and mechanical efficiency, and

(ii) To identify the shortfalls and possible improvements in the design of the pumps under study.

Methodology:

Bangladesh and UK versions of the Rower Pump, Treadle Pump and Tara Pump were selected for performance testing. Performances of these pumps were tested in the Silsoe College Field Engineering Laboratory in U. K. and then the tests were repeated at the Sugarcane Research and Training Institute and the Regional Experiment Station of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Jamalpur. Each pump was tested at different heads in order to evaluate the performance. Pumping was carried out manually under normal operating conditions at a normal operating stroke length. Stroke lengths were 0.6 m, 0.64 m, 0.08 m and 0.45 m for Bangladesh Rower, UK Rower, Twin Treadle Pump and Tara Pump, respectively. Each test was repeated thrice and in each case, time of operation, number of cycles (pull and push stroke), total discharge, discharge per cycle and force per cycle were measured. The average of three readings was taken as the test data. Bangladesh Rower Pump The Rower Pump is a high capacity low lift piston pump designed in Bangladesh. The pump cylinder is a 54 mm long extruded PVC tube with heat swaged ends and inclined at an angle of 30^o from the horizontal axis. The plunger is fitted with a single leather cup washer and rubber flap valves (plunger valve and check valve). A spherical aluminum surge chamber is fitted to the top end of the suction pipe. The pump is operated by pulling and pushing the plunger by means of a T-handle: In UK Rower Pump, a 64 mm diameter high pressure asbestos pipe is used as the pump cylinder. High quality stainless steel is used for piston rod and locking nut. The piston assembly and foot valve body are precision injection moulded plastic and are fitted with rubber seals. A short length of 40 mm diameter UPVC pipe serves as the surge chamber when it is connected to the suction side parallel to the cylinder with the help of a 90^o elbow joint. The Twin Treadle Pump is a two-cylinder single-acting unit. The inlet and outlet ports are inter-coupled to give a single inlet. The inlet and outlet rubber balls are gravity impressed on to their respective seating. The ball valving is carried in the base of each cylinder. The two cylinders are mounted on a base plate by upwards bolts into the valving base block and at a comfortable spacing for two human feet. The piston rod protrudes upwards from the cylinder and is operated by an inverted “U” trunnion, the side legs of which straddle the cylinder and are pivotally attached by bearing pins to one pair of pedal levers. These levers extend from their heel bearing pins at one end to the attachment point of the foot pads at the other end. The attachment point of the bearing pins is at the mid position on the levers. The main shaft is equally divided in length, each half carrying one pedal assembly. The cylinders are single-acting but the piston seals are double-acting in order to pump with one scale and maintain a vacuum with the contrafacing seal to ensure suction efficiency. A vertical pole is provided to a suitable height from the pump base plate and at a comfortable distance to be gripped by hands which assist the rocking motion of the body. The Tara Pump has been developed jointly by the UNICEF, World Bank and the Mirpur Working and Training School (MWTS) in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The pump uses a steel pump head made of 64 mm diameter mild steel pipe. The piston is a directly actuated straight rod attached to the steel “T” handle. The rod consists of 32 mm PVC pipe which provides buoyancy.

Source of Information: Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 20 (2):101-108, December 1995

Article Link (Online Journal):

Funding Source:

Total Budget (Tk.) :

Achievement/Findings:

Considering head, discharge and efficiency Bangladesh Rower is better than UK Rower and it can be successfully used in areas where water table is within 6 m. The UK rower gives higher discharge than the other version and works well up to a suction head of 4 m. In areas where the water table goes below the practical limit of suction pumps, the Tara Pump provides the cheapest solution for water supply from the ground water source, even thought it may be tedious to operate for a longer period.

Knowledge Management: Journal