Bicycle Powered Water Pump

Final Report

Jonathan Bonilla
Kathleen Connell
Isabelle Torhus
Richard Waltz

ENGR 493: Engineering Leadership Experience

Spring 2016
April 24th, 2016
Abstract

The Bicycle Powered Water Pump team has been tasked with the following project goal:
Utilize a bike to produce a working shallow water pump for developing countries without
access to water supplies but have an abundance of bikes. In conjunction with said goal, we have
been given the responsibilities of evaluating a need for water pumps, evaluating countries with
an abundance of bikes that match the need for pumps, researching current methods of water
gathering, developing a working prototype of a water pump using a bike, and creating
recommendations for the next team to work on this project.
We selected Nepal as the developing country with a need for water supplies and an
abundance of bicycles to focus our design towards. Our design features a pumping apparatus
driven by the pedaling of the bicycle wheel.
The following report summarizes the progress of our team with regard to this project.

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Table of Contents

Abstract .......... 1
1. Introduction. 3
1.1 Background... 3
1.2 Establishing MVVS.. 3
2. Preliminary Research...... 5
2.1 Countries with abundance of bikes....... 5
2.2 Countries with need for water supplies..... 5
2.3 Current water retrieval methods............ 7
2.4 Other bicycle powered water pumps............. 8
3. System Construction........... 9
4. Testing............... 11
5. Results....... 12
6. Recommendations..... 13
6.1 Our Recommendations........ 13
6.2 University of Sydney Recommendations........ 14
7. Conclusion.... 16
8. Acknowledgements ...... 17
9. Appendix....... 18
10. References... 22

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1. Introduction

1.1 Background
Water sustains life on earth. It is the driving force for all life from vegetation, to animals,
to the entire human race. Although a majority of the water on earth is salt water, fresh water
supports the basic need for humans to live. Dependent upon the resources and availability of
water supplies, access to water for some developing communities around the world is
compromised. This presents a severe issue for the sustainability of life in those communities. In
Nepal specifically, 2.3 million people do not have access to safe water. (WaterAid)[1]
Our goal is to develop a prototype that could impact millions of people around the world
by providing a solution for communities without electricity to use their bicycles to gain access to
water.

1.2 Establishing Mission, Vision, Value and Strategy

Mission:
The Bicycle Powered Water Pump Team will research existing shallow water pumping
techniques and countries with an abundance of bicycles, develop a method to use those existing
bicycles to meet the needs of the community, and create a functioning water pump prototype.

Vision:
The Bicycle Powered Water Pump Team strives to increase the accessibility to water in
developing countries, like Nepal, while using resources readily available in those areas. We hope
to design, build, and test a functioning prototype which can provide a solid base for future groups
taking on this task and eventually be implemented into developing nations.

Values:
The Bicycle Powered Water Pump Team values the following:
1. The intrinsic right of people to have access to water to fulfill their basic human
needs.
2. The preservation and sustainability of the earth.
3. Respecting the preservation of the culture, health, and resources of the
community.

Strategy:
In order to make sufficient progress throughout the semester, our team met weekly out of
class, to discuss upcoming goals and assignments. This step assured that we maintained

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consistency with our Gantt Chart. The Gantt chart was very effective in allowing us to
accomplish every step in our project. Other strategies we used were:
1. Prepare in advance for all team meetings
2. Fully participate in all team meetings
3. Use meeting time effectively to work
4. Ensure even distribution of work among members
5. Respect all team members
6. Communicate effectively
All of these points have lead to a solid, cooperative team to successfully build our prototype.

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2. Preliminary Research

Although our research was comprehensive and widespread, we chose to focus on Nepal
as the country with an abundance of bikes and a need for water supplies.
2.1 Countries with an abundance of bikes
According to our research, the following countries are among the top ten with the most
number of bicycles: Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Japan,
Switzerland, Belgium, and China. (Top10Hell)[2] Although these countries have the most bikes
per capita, they are developed nations and do not fit the scope of our task. Bicycles function to
fulfill more basic needs in developing countries such as transportation to the market, to school,
or to work. Whereas in developed nations, bicycles could function as a fitness tool, for
recreation, or for sport. For these reasons, the countries mentioned above did not fit the scope of
our project. Thus, we had to further our research.
Through further research we discovered there is a popular initiative for organizations to
send bikes to developing countries as a form of aid. For example, Portal Bikes design and
produce bicycles tailored for developing nations. (PortalBikes)[3] Currently, they have sent them
to communities in Nepal who have used the bikes for a variety of needs. Similar to the average
bicycle, Portal Bikes also have features, attachments, and accessories to perform functions such
as supporting a large load or supporting a market stand. Another organization, Wheels 4 Life,
provides bicycles to people in need, including people in Nepal. (Wheels4Life)[4]

2.2 Countries with a need for water supplies

Water is a necessity to life, although it is not readily available and accessible to everyone
around the world. If you live in a country that is scarce on water, there is not a great enough
supply of water to meet the demand of its people, which is called physical scarcity. On the other
hand, some countries have water sources, but they are not clean. In addition, some people do not
have the proper resources to access that groundwater, which is called economic scarcity. Figure 1
below illustrates what countries are facing what problems with water.

Figure 1: Global physical and economic water scarcity

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 It is evident that depending on the type of scarcity a country is facing, they will require
different resources for help. With our project, we are able to help those countries who are facing
economic water scarcity, as our bicycle powered water pump will be a resource for populations
to gain access to water that was previously unattainable. In the map, this is represented by the
dark blue color. The United Nations reported that around 700 million people in 43 countries
suffer today from water scarcity and by 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or
regions with absolute water scarcity. (UN)[5] This is an obvious growing problem around the
world.
Nepal is one of those countries that are colored dark blue, signifying the need for water
pumping resources. Further research on water tables in Nepal showed that there are a number of
regions in the country that have a scarcity of water with a water table high enough a shallow
water pump design would work. Table 1 depicts where these regions are in Nepal, and lists the
average level of the water table. Our team chose this country as the focus of our project, although
after some improvements and modifications, we would hope that our design could be used in any
developing country.
Table 1: Groundwater Levels in Nepal by Region

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 As previously stated, some countries struggle to provide citizens with clean water and
safe drinking water. Although this is a large problem throughout the world, our project outline
focused on simply extracting the water, rather than the sanitation of the water coming from the
pump.

2.3 Current water retrieval methods

Our team is focusing on designing a shallow water pump, which is typically defined as a
pump that can bring up water from a depth of 25 feet, as a opposed to a deep well pump, which
can bring up water from far below that depth; requiring more energy than the average person can
generate pedaling a bicycle. One of the most common types of shallow well pump in is called a
jet pump, which uses an electric powered water pump to create a difference in pressure that
forces the water from the well to rise. The advantages of a jet pump are its efficiency, power and
convenience for the user. The disadvantages are that jet pumps are expensive, could be difficult
to create or repair in a developing nation, and only work to a depth of 25 feet (Popular
Mechanics)[6].
Another method of retrieving water from a shallow well is called a rope pump. A rope
pump works by spinning a rope around and up through a piece of pipe in an open well, with a
material such as rubber balls or plastic disks spaced along the rope. These materials create a seal
against the pipe so as the rope moves the water is drawn along with it, as shown in Figure 2. The
disadvantage of the rope pump is that it can be inconvenient for the user, as they have to spin a
wheel to move the rope, and parts can wear out over time. The advantages are that they are
relatively inexpensive, able to be made with materials often found locally, and can be rigged to
pump water deeper than a jet pump. Due to these reasons, rope pumps have begun to be
commonly used in countries that lack access to water, like Nicaragua, with great success.
(CEC)[7].

Figure 2: Pump design

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2.4 Other bicycle powered water pumps
While researching common methods for pumping, our team came across a number of
previous designs for bicycle powered water pumps. One that stood out to us was the Bicicomba
Movil model bike pump, which used a bicycle powered electric motor and featured a portable
stand that could be used to store loads while travelling (Figure 3). One aspect our team took note
about this model was that the user only needed one bike, and with the attachment it could quickly
shift into water pumping mode without compromising a bikes other uses. (Mayapedal)[8]
Another bicycle powered water pump that we found was a model based on the rope pump
design, shown in Figure 4, which can lift 5 gallons per minute from a depth of 30 meters.
Considering most jet pumps can only lift water from 12 meters, the capability of this pump is
notable. (Mayapedal)[9] These past designs served as inspiration for our own, and we decided to
pursue the rope pump method, due to its high potential and low cost.

Figure 3: Portable bike pump Figure 4: Rope pump in action

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3. System Construction

After we had completed our research concerning the need for water pumps, the
availability of bicycles, and the previous designs, our team met to develop a solution. Our
prototype was focused on designing a solution that would take into account what suited Nepal
best and what our team could feasibly deliver.
The next step in the system construction process was ordering materials. Due to the
resources provided by our professor, Meredith Handley, we were able to acquire a free, old
bicycle to use for our prototype. This advantage helped keep our project under budget and served
to make our own prototype more authentic; because in Nepal we would not have access to new
bicycles. Moreover, our design needed to be able to adapt with that uncertainty. Having decided
upon a rope pump design (Figure 2), we then ordered the materials listed in Table 2 of the
Appendix section.
Once we gathered all our materials from the local Home Depot, we began to build our
prototype in the Learning Factory. None of our teammates have had extensive shop experience,
but we all completed the necessary safety training session to be certified to work in the Learning
Factory. We began by cutting, filing, and gluing the PVC piping to fit our design (Figure 5).
Team members then proceeded to fit the rubber balls onto the rope, after they had been cut in
half and drilled a hole through the center. Lastly, we connected the two parts together and had
completed the first phase of our water pump prototype as seen in Figure 6.
Figure 5: Cementing PVC fittings together Figure 6: Pipe piece

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 The next phase of the prototype was to build a frame to hold the pipe and rope over the
well. Another order for materials went out for two eight foot 2x4s, wood screws, twine and zip
ties. Once these arrived, our team members assembled a frame that could support the weight of
the pipe and keep the bicycle pulley system intact. Next, we put the rubber belt on the back
wheel of the tire and connected it to the tire spinning the rope at the top of the frame. Finally, the
prototype (Figure 7) was complete.

Figure 7: Bike and central wheel connection

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4. Testing

When searching for an ideal area to test our prototype, we ran into some setbacks.
Initially, we were going to contact someone who had been previously involved in the
Engineering Leadership Development Minor and try to use their personal well for testing. This
presented an issue because the well was not built traditionally, so our prototype would not be
compatible to function with it. Then, we thought that using a pool could work as our well, but
we believed that the shavings from the rubber balls would have contaminated the water, and
would not be able to gain access.
In the end, the testing for the prototype was done off of a loading dock behind McKee
Hall. We filled a trash can with water directly below our prototype with the help of the West
Halls housing staff, and this served our purposes well enough. Unfortunately, when it was all put
together and we tried to use the pump, it was incredibly difficult to move with the bicycle
wheels. However, we did prove that the rubber seal did work and served to bring up a lot of
water in a short period of time.

Figure 8: Testing the pump with our friends in West Halls housing staff

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5. Results

The outcome of our prototype was that each half of the pump worked individually,
however, together there was an issue that prevented the whole prototype from working as
intended. The pump part functioned, but in order to perform properly it required a significant
amount of effort by the pedaler to allow the water to successfully flow out of the pipe. This is
likely because we used rubber ball pieces to create the seal in the pipe to allow the water to
pump. Because rubber produces a considerable amount of friction with the PVC, a great deal of
force was required to pull the rope through the pipe.
We also faced some issues with getting the central wheel to rotate properly. Due to
friction with the wooden stand, the pulley wheel initially did not turn at all. We were able to
rectify this by using some of the PVC pipe to reduce friction between the pegs and the wooden
stand. Even though the pulley wheel could now spin, we still were unable to transfer enough
power to the wheel to allow it to pull the rope through the PVC pipe. This is why the prototype
was only able to work in parts, but not as a whole.
It was necessary for us to make changes to our original design to allow the prototype to
work properly. One of those changes we made while we were testing was that we removed the
funnel piece we had attached to the pipe because the rope was too short to correctly go through
all the pipe, and added too much friction to the system. With more time to plan and test, there are
other changes that we could have made to improve the prototype. Those improvements are listed
in the following section, section 6.

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6. Recommendations

6.1 Our recommendations

For the future success of this project, we recommend multiple changes to consider.
Concerning the prototype, we recommend that the overall dimensions and size of the design be
reduced. A challenge we faced that we did not anticipate was the difficulty of transporting,
constructing, storing, and testing our prototype in locations that accommodated the overall size
of our prototype. We purchased a 10 foot piece of PVC piping which needed to be transported in
a car with the trunk open. Even after cutting and constructing, our prototype piping component
remained more that 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Additionally, our wooden support structure had to
be as large to adequately support the piping.
Next, we would advocate for the use of plastic disks instead of the rubber balls along the
rope to be tread through the PVC piping. We discovered after building and testing that the rubber
balls began to shed rubber shavings along the inside of the piping. This was unexpected and
unaccounted for in our expectations for the design. The shavings could cause potential problems
if the water were to be consumed; thus, the use of plastic could avoid the issue.
Moreover, we experienced issues when testing because the bike wheel did not have
enough friction with the rubber belt to continually turn the belt. Additionally, as the belt turned it
was unable to continually turn the central wheel to rotate the rope through the piping. These
issues should be focused on in the future to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the
design. We suggest a longer rubber belt and a consideration of material choice to improve the
friction generated between the materials.
Furthermore, we would propose that future groups get in touch with the contact who has
water wells to take advantage of his wells to test the prototype on. This would prove very
valuable to the success of the project because teams would be able to design a bicycle powered
water pump specifically for the size well provided and acquire data for results.
Additionally, we suggest to reconsider the material choices used in the prototype. We
attempted to find a balance between materials that would be effective and materials that are
accessible in Nepal communities. This trade off would be beneficial to reconsider if a future
group intended to focus on another country.
Lastly, we highly recommend CAD/SolidWorks drawings to be made of the intended
design to create a clear picture for all the stakeholders to understand and imagine the final
design. Although we intended to create these drawings with the help of our University of Sydney
teammates, we later discovered that the Australian students had little knowledge of these
programs.

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6.2 University of Sydney recommendations
Throughout the semester, we were paired with a team of students at the University of
Sydney, in Australia. We conducted video calls and sent group messages to receive their
guidance on the designing stages of our prototype. At the conclusion of our project, we asked the
Australian students about their experience working with our team at Penn State, and this is what
they thought:

Would you change anything if you were to do this again?

I would ensure that students from each university were working on the project concurrently
from beginning to end, such that there can be more input and interaction on the ideas of the
project.
Having the USyd students start the project ~3 weeks in meant that from the start the two
teams were at different stages: introduction, research, brainstorming, design, etc. Collaboration
would definitely have been more productive had both sides started at the same time.
The difference in start times prevented new ideas from emerging, as previous ideas were
being built upon.

Are there design recommendations/changes you would make?

Perhaps including some kind of filtration system built into the design -- would help with
preventing contamination and limiting spread of disease
Fanned mouthpipe to better guide the rubber balls
Although rubber provides good contact with piston walls, high traction may be a problem?

Would you research more if you had the time? What would you research?
If time were permitted, I would research more extensively on optimizing the output of the
pump itself so that its durable as well as efficient
Materials available in excess in target countries

In what capacity do you see this bicycle powered water pump being implemented in the real
world?
I feel it could be implemented extensively particularly in developing countries where water
accessibility has poor standards. However, optimisation should be considered to increase the
pumping rate.
To a great extent; I think this concept is very adaptable to local needs. The design is simple
and the materials can easily be salvaged from local sources.

Do you have any final thoughts about this project?

It was wonderful working with you all
Communication was good, everyone knew what was being worked on

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 Project goals were clearly laid out, including steps on how to achieve such goals

It was a pleasure working with these students and a very valuable learning experience. Our team
has gained relevant global experience that will become beneficial skills in the future as teams are
often comprised of members around the world.

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7. Conclusion

To conclude, the outcome of our project has been both a success and a failure as
mentioned in the Results section. The successful aspect of our project was the pumping
apparatus. During testing we discovered that the water was able to be drawn from the bucket and
out of the pipe spigot. Therefore, testing proved that our concept and design of the rubber balls
on the rope looping through the PVC piping was a success at producing water. On the other
hand, testing proved that there was a disconnect between the pedaling of the bicycle wheel and
the turning of the central wheel. The rubber belt connecting the two was too short and lacked
sufficient friction to accomplish continual motion. Due to these conditions the bicycle part of our
prototype was a failure at turning the central wheel to rotate the rope through the piping.
From these conclusions our team learned many lessons about construction and obtaining
the correct materials and recommend changes for future groups who work on this project in the
above section. We believe that after consideration and implementation of our recommendations
mentioned above, a successful, efficient, effective prototype can be produced.

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8. Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the generous assistance that was given to us by Penn State
professors Meg Handley and Mike Erdman in conjunction with the TAs Cara Perrotti, Heather
Svec, and Adam Merendino. With their guidance and support throughout this process, we were
able to successfully perform as a team and complete the various assignments during the
semester. Additionally, we were able to gain a strong foundation in leadership principles that will
benefit and grow our leadership skills in our future endeavors.
We would like acknowledge the assistance offered to us by the contact who offered his
wells for us to test on. Although, we did not take advantage of his water wells to test our
prototype, we gratefully appreciate his offer and hope that the next group to take on this project
will be able to utilize his resources.
Next, we would like to extend our deep appreciation to the housing staff of McKee hall
who provided the location for testing, the bucket, and hose to fill the bucket with water. Due to
their interest, accommodation, and assistance, we were able to test our design smoothly with
very little problems.
Furthermore, we acknowledge the Learning Factory staff for training us and assisting in
the construction of our prototype. From their expertise, skills, and knowledge we were able to
have our questions answered and use the Learning Factory resources to build our design.
Lastly, we would like to thank the dedication of Mandy Thompson who coordinated all
of our material orders. Without her, we would have never been able to acquire our materials to
build our prototype while remaining under budget.

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9. Appendix

Figure 9: Gantt Chart

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Table 2: Material List

Material Price

Bike $0.00

25 ft of 0.5 in. Hemp rope $6.50

10 ft. of 2 in. PVC Pipe $7.63

2 in. PVC Tee connector $2.81

4 oz. of PVC pipe primer and cement $7.20

Two pairs of 6 in. bike pegs $20.00

10 ft. rubber belt $35.17

Twelve 2.5 in. diameter rubber balls $18.89

Bicycle wheel $35.00

Four 8 in. x 8 in. x 16 in. cinder blocks $5.76

Two 2 in. J-Shape PVC pipes $2.54

4 in. x 2 in. PVC Reducer $6.38

Two 8 ft. 2x4 wood panels $5.18

in. x 6 in. wood screws $11.54

3 in. wood screws $3.19

8 in. zip ties $6.47

420 ft. of twine $2.57

TOTAL PRICE: $176.83

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10. References

[1] http://www.wateraid.org/np
[2] http://top10hell.com/top-10-countries-with-most-bicycles-per-capita/
[3] http://www.portalbikes.org/what-we-do#intro
[4] http://www.wheels4life.org/
[5] http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml
[6] http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/how-to/a152/1275136/
[7] http://cec.vcn.bc.ca/cmp/modules/wat-ro.htm
[8] http://www.mayapedal.org/Bicibomba_Movil_eng.pdf
[9] http://www.mayapedal.org/machines.en

[Figure 1] http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/scarcity.shtml
[Figure 2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope_pump#/media/File:Rope_Pump.svg
[Figure 3] http://www.mayapedal.org/construction_photos.pdf
[Figure 4] http://www.mayapedal.org/machines.en

[Table 1] http://www.academia.edu/9667901/Drawdown_and_Dynamics_of_Groundwater_
Table_in_Kathmandu_Valley_Nepal

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