Development of a minimum maintenance solar pump

Abstract

Recent efforts at the University of Science and Technology (UST), Kumasi, have resulted in the successful develop¬ment of a Minimum Maintenance Solar Pump (MMSP) from locally available mate¬rials. The design employs 202.5 litre (45 gallon) oil drums reinforced with 12.7mm (0.5 in) steel pipes. Two pro¬totypes based on this design have been tested at UST and Brace Research Institute (BR1), Montreal. The maximum average temperature attained in the UST prototype was 84°c with no water being pumped while the BRI prototype pumped 158 litres (79% of total capacity) with the bottom of the drum reaching 96°c, The volume of water which remains in the drum after a previous operation has a great influence on the maximum temperatures attained by the drum and the test results indicate that this residual water should be kept at a minimum of about 1 litre.