Rope pump
Encyclopedia
A rope pump is a kind of pump
where a loose hanging rope is lowered down into a well
and drawn up through a long pipe with the bottom immersed in water. On the rope, round disks or knots matching the diameter of the pipe are attached which pull the water to the surface.
A rope pump is a kind of pump
of which the main or most visible component is a continuous piece of rope, in which the rope is integral in raising water from a well
. Rope pumps are often used in developing areas
with the most form consisting of a PVC
pipe and a rope with flexible or rigid valves. Rope pumps are cheap to build and easy to maintain. One design of rope pump using a solar-powered rope pump can pump 3,000 litres per day using a 80 watt solar panel . Rope pumps can be powered by low speed petrol/diesel/engines, electricity, human energy, wind and from solar.
over 1000 years ago. In the 1980s Reinder van Tijen an inventor and grass roots activist, with the support of the Royal Tropical Institute of Amsterdam
, created and began instructing various communities around the world how to make a rope pump from simple available parts using PVC pipes and plastic moldings. He began at Burkina Faso
in Africa, continued to Tunisia
, Thailand
and Gambia among others. In Nicaragua
, the technology was rapidly disseminated over the whole country and 25% of the rural population in Nicaragua now use rope pumps. It is also used in other parts of Central America with over 25,000 pumps installed to date. In Africa the rope pump is now being used with solar energry.
By the end of 2009 more than 4 million people in 20 countries worldwide were using rope pumps for domestic and irrigation water.
that fit tightly into the PVC pipe as the rope is dragged through can also be used. If the fit is tight, the washers can be spaced up to half a meter apart. For deeper wells, a thinner pipe can be used. These rope pumps often work with a hand crank
Valves can also be made from knots in the rope itself.
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
where a loose hanging rope is lowered down into a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
and drawn up through a long pipe with the bottom immersed in water. On the rope, round disks or knots matching the diameter of the pipe are attached which pull the water to the surface.
Description
Pump
A pump is a device used to move fluids, such as liquids, gases or slurries.A pump displaces a volume by physical or mechanical action. Pumps fall into three major groups: direct lift, displacement, and gravity pumps...
of which the main or most visible component is a continuous piece of rope, in which the rope is integral in raising water from a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
. Rope pumps are often used in developing areas
Developing country
A developing country, also known as a less-developed country, is a nation with a low level of material well-being. Since no single definition of the term developing country is recognized internationally, the levels of development may vary widely within so-called developing countries...
with the most form consisting of a PVC
Polyvinyl chloride
Polyvinyl chloride, commonly abbreviated PVC, is a thermoplastic polymer. It is a vinyl polymer constructed of repeating vinyl groups having one hydrogen replaced by chloride. Polyvinyl chloride is the third most widely produced plastic, after polyethylene and polypropylene. PVC is widely used in...
pipe and a rope with flexible or rigid valves. Rope pumps are cheap to build and easy to maintain. One design of rope pump using a solar-powered rope pump can pump 3,000 litres per day using a 80 watt solar panel . Rope pumps can be powered by low speed petrol/diesel/engines, electricity, human energy, wind and from solar.
History
Chain or washer pumps were used by the ChineseChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
over 1000 years ago. In the 1980s Reinder van Tijen an inventor and grass roots activist, with the support of the Royal Tropical Institute of Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, created and began instructing various communities around the world how to make a rope pump from simple available parts using PVC pipes and plastic moldings. He began at Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
in Africa, continued to Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
and Gambia among others. In Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, the technology was rapidly disseminated over the whole country and 25% of the rural population in Nicaragua now use rope pumps. It is also used in other parts of Central America with over 25,000 pumps installed to date. In Africa the rope pump is now being used with solar energry.
By the end of 2009 more than 4 million people in 20 countries worldwide were using rope pumps for domestic and irrigation water.
Construction
Rope pumps can be made with flexible or rigid valves on the rope, for causing the water to be pulled up, or no valves at all, simply relying on the water clinging to the rope to be pulled up quickly.Flexible valve rope pumps
Flexible valves can be made from cut pieces of bicycle wheel tubing. The valves are positioned approximately 20 cm apart on the rope. One disadvantage of flexible valve rope pumps is that they must be appropriately sized and thickness for different types, sizes and length of pipes.Rigid valve rope pump
Rigid valves using plastic or metal washersWasher (mechanical)
A washer is a thin plate with a hole that is normally used to distribute the load of a threaded fastener, such as a screw or nut. Other uses are as a spacer, spring , wear pad, preload indicating device, locking device, and to reduce vibration...
that fit tightly into the PVC pipe as the rope is dragged through can also be used. If the fit is tight, the washers can be spaced up to half a meter apart. For deeper wells, a thinner pipe can be used. These rope pumps often work with a hand crank
Valves can also be made from knots in the rope itself.
Valveless rope pumps
Valveless pumps rely on friction with water clinging to the rope, which is moved at high speed, often using a bicycle to produce the required speed. It is a less efficient design but is simpler to construct than the other rope pumps.Intelectual Property
Rope pump technology is in the public domain and there are no patents pending on it.External links
- rope pump site
- Rope pump
- Robert Lambdon's book