A Cheap Wind Machine For Pumping Water

At a glance..

Here, you will find instructions for building a Savonius Rotor for water pumping. The Savonius Rotor, although not as efficient as a windmill of comparable size, lends itself to water pumping for irrigation in underdeveloped areas due to its low initial cost, simplicity of materials and construction and low maintenance cost.

The details..

This book provides detailed instructions on building a Savonius Rotor wind machine for water pumping. Developed by Finnish engineer S.J. Savonius in the 1920s, the rotor is simple and inexpensive to construct using locally available materials and basic tools. The authors of this book tested the potentialities of the rotor at Brace Research Institute and found it suitable for irrigation in underdeveloped areas due to its low initial cost, simplicity of construction, and low maintenance costs.

The rotor consists of two bisected oil drums welded together into troughs mounted between two plywood end plates measuring 48 inches in diameter. A shaft through the center of the rotor made from 1-1/4 inch ID water pipe extends about six inches beyond either end plate secured by flanged collars bolted onto each side. Two self-aligning ball bearings are required to support the shaft within a sturdy frame constructed from four pieces of timber securely bolted with gusset plates that should be steadied with wire guys anchored firmly into place.

The only important points when erecting such a machine are choosing an appropriate site where average windspeeds range between eight and twelve miles per hour or more while ensuring that water levels remain no deeper than ten-to-fifteen feet below ground level so as not overtax pump capacity or efficiency.The bigger storage capacity you have,the more flexible your system becomes.A graph provided at back page can help determine proper pump size based on local conditions.

Overall,this instructional manual offers practical guidance on constructing an efficient yet affordable wind-powered device capable enough for irrigating crops even in remote regions lacking access to conventional sources of power.