Solar powered water pump improvements

Abstract

An improved valve mechanism for the solar motor developed by the Solar Pump Corporation was developed to overcome weaknesses discovered in earlier tests. Va17e actuation was changed from parallel to perpendicular to the motion of the piston to facilitate valve adjustment and cc free the valve seals from being compressed by the main spring. Inlet and outlet valves were replaced with purchased check valves to reduce machining requirements. Mechanical efficiency of the modified motor was found to range from 0.23 to 0.34 and thermodynamic efficiency from 0.027 to 0.032 in a day-long test. Overall energy conversion efficiency was computed to be 0.008 at noon when pumping with a head of 8.25 m. The modified valve mechanism met design objectives of requiring simpler manufacturing processes, and simple and minimal servicing. The manufacturing cost is estimated to be less then $2000.00 for the solar motor.