Water abstraction with the Popular water pump (BAP)

Solution type: Water abstraction

• Objectives: Pumping water for food production and/or drinking water for animals, without consumption.

• Description: It is a simple and highly resistant technology for pumping water from so many new or disused wells, which helps to reduce the use of fossil fuel, electricity and repair costs in propelling water at depths of up to 100 metres, capturing “crystalline” groundwater with variable salt content, usable for animal consumption, vegetable production and general household use. 

Components

This technology reduces erosion damage caused by corrosive salt water on the submerged iron parts and the parts at the base of the pump, and is resistant to aggressive ions in the water. The submerged metal parts are made of stainless steel or brass. The other parts are made of nylon or GRP (glass fibre reinforced polymer). The pipes and connections through which the water rises are made of PVC. The design of the Volanta piston, the turbulence and molecular forces of the water are sufficient to allow perfect pumping. The lubricant for the piston is water. The BAP piston is maintenance-free and guarantees safe water extraction for years.

And there is no possibility for impurities from the surface to penetrate into the tube well. The well inlet is still sealed with threaded parts and the sucker rod passes through a pressure seal.

Performance

According to official standards, a well with a flow rate of less than 1,000 litres per hour should be considered dry. It is not worth installing a motor pump, which actually has a technical reason. However, for a community with no other water source, or with hardly any drinking water for human consumption, and no water for watering animals, watering a vegetable garden and for domestic use, it is cruel not to activate a well, which can perhaps supply 1,000,000 litres of water per hour. The various pumping families produce more water in a day than a tanker truck can carry (with questionable water quality).

Advantages

• • • Unlike surface water, water extracted at a depth of tens of metres has no organic contamination. No filtering or chlorine addition is required.
    • Because the base of the BAP, a concrete block, is poured exactly above the borehole, it is at a higher level in relation to the surrounding ground, increasing the pressure.
    • It allows for the reuse of the tailings with a flow rate of less than 1,000 litres per hour, which is considered to be dry.
    • The non-corrosive shaft sealing parts allow quick and easy access to the pump piston for repair.
    • In contrast to hand pumps of the arm or side lever type, the BAP is equipped with a heavy, large-diameter, 1.60 metre handwheel, which, after the initial impulse, keeps the pumping constant, with little effort and without having to turn the body and thus causing back pain. Even children and the elderly can use it with ease. In addition, a counterweight can be added to the flywheel in relation to the rods, which reduces the initial impulse and keeps the rotation smoother.

Complexity

The implementation of the BAP system is a simple and scalable solution for rural households, replacing wind vanes, centrifugal electric pumps or fuel-powered engines with easy-to-use equipment to harness relatively shallow, low-flow water.

Sources:

• ASA. Bomba d’Agua Popular. Tecnologias Sociais para Convivência com o Semiárido – BAP. Série sobre Estocagem de Água para Produção de Alimentos. Junio, 2013.