Researcher: Arron S.

Barrogo BSME-4A

Development of a Pedal-Powered Water Pump for Small Farm Irrigation

Description

The " Development of a Pedal-Powered Water Pump for Small Farm Irrigation" project entails the
development of a pedal-powered water pump system. This unique approach intends to assist small farmers,
with an efficient and reliable method of irrigating their land. Farmers may reduce their dependency on fossil
fuels and energy by biking water from a nearby spring or wells to their fields. This environmentally friendly
and locally accessible technology satisfies the area's demand for effective irrigation while also encouraging
environmental sustainability and self-sufficiency for local agricultural practices.

Problem Identified

The primary challenge is to design a pedal-powered water pump that is both efficient and effective
at lifting water from a significant depth and delivering it to a storage tank or distribution point that can help
communities or remote areas where electricity is still a major problem. The pedal-powered system should
be efficient and robust to ensure uninterrupted water supply for irrigation. Some pedal-powered water
pumps may provide inconsistent water flow rates that can reduces efficiency.

Proposed Solution

In response to the stated objectives, by proposing to the addition of a flywheel to act as an energy
storage device, helping to overcome short bursts of increased demand or during periods when the operator
needs to rest. This can improve the efficiency of water delivery. Flywheel can store excess energy from
pedaling and releases that energy when stop pedaling. This may increase the efficiency and reliability of
the pedal-powered water pump for small farms. By harnessing human power, this innovative solution will
not only reduce the physical strain on farmers but also provide them with a sustainable and reliable water
source, further enhancing their agricultural practices and livelihoods.

Background of the Study

The developed Pedal Powered Water Pump (PPWP) successfully provides reliable and consistent
water pumping and distribution means for general and even for small scale industries uses. The PPWP is a
manually operated pumping machine to pump water from a sump as deep as 11 feet (2.5m) to a desired
height of at least 21 foot (6.4m) by the application of a significantly magnified human energy through
pedaling (Ejiko 2021) developed a Pedal-Powered Water Pump from local materials to provide water in
rural West Africa. It was low-cost, sustainable, and 69% efficient. (Hatta et al. 2021) Analyze the level of
efficiency, effectiveness, and convenience of using a pedal-powered water pump for irrigation activities.
Also found pedal pump irrigation offered efficiency, effectiveness, and convenience benefits for Indonesian
farmers through interviews and observations. The pedal-operated pump can be made with the help of local
resources and expertise. A centrifugal pump used in a water system is pedal-powered. A foot pedal and a
driving shaft both rotate inside a housing that is part of the pump stand. In order to extract water from the
sump, it operates on the principle of compression and abrupt release of a tube by creating negative pressure
inside the tube. This is easily adaptable to local demands and can be created using materials that are readily
available nearby. This helps to reduce the energy costs and less pollution is produced to the environment.
At the same time, our human also can have healthy exercise by pedaling (Lim 2022).
 A pedal powered centrifugal water pump (PPCWP) system was developed for use in
underdeveloped countries where electricity is not available for energizing a mechanical system to cause
useable drives (Akinnuli et al. 2019) designed and tested a pedal-powered centrifugal pump, achieving 78%
efficiency - higher than manual pumps. It is suitable for off-grid water supply. The pumping system
comprises of chain and belt drives for power transmission. (Kajogbola et al. 2023) The machine is
economically viable, can be used by unskilled workers, save time otherwise spent in traditional mixing and
can be adopted for human-powered process units which could have intermittent operation without affecting
the end-product (Ma Myat Win Khaing 2019) describes the design and construction of the pedal-operated
water pump are done especially discharge rate at different speed and height. The proposed pump is a rotary
pump operated by pedal power. In the rotary pump, water enters axially through the vane eyes and exits
radially. In this paper, necessary dimensions are calculated for the design point of 6.096 m (20 feet) height,
0.00018 m3/sec flow rate and rotational speed 260 rpm. Pedal-operated water pump is purposed to use in
small irrigation and garden irrigation and drinking water where electricity is not available. (Ejiko 2021)
developed an affordable pedal pump using local materials to supply clean drinking water in rural Ghana. It
was human-powered and reduced costs. (Bantelay et al. 2022) identified promising prospects for hydro-
powered pumps in Ethiopian small-scale irrigation compared to conventional pumps (Hatta 2019) used
pedal pump irrigation and financial training to enhance crop production, efficiency, and farmer welfare in
an Indonesian village.

(Ujarari 2021) presents the design and construction of a pedal-operated water pump that may be
put to use in a variety of contexts, including garden irrigation, small-scale agriculture, and the removal of
water from a reservoir. The pump that is controlled by pedaling may be constructed using just the resources
and know-how available locally. The water pumping apparatus consists of a centrifugal pump that may be
powered by foot pedals. (Kumar 2021) presents creation and tentatively research the working of Pedal
Powered Water Pump (PPWP) alongside its refinement which had utilized for unadulterated drinking water
supply and nursery water system. PPWP will comprise of a radiating siphon worked by pedal force. (Yatisha
N. 2017) develop a pedal-powered water pump for moving water from low to high areas, offering an
affordable and eco-friendly solution, particularly in areas with limited access to electricity.

The generation provides a water pump system which ensures that the water in the tap only flows
when the pedals of a drive wheel are turned. When the pedals are not turned, no water is supplied to the tap.
The water from the tap will thus not be controlled by the open / close function of a tap, but will be controlled
by another activity, such as cycling. Thereby a controlled consumption of water can be achieved, where the
user of the water pump system does not forget to close the water (DK201800028U3) (Lars 2019).

The primary challenge addressed by this study is the need for an efficient and effective design of a
pedal-powered water pump capable of lifting water from significant depths and delivering it to storage tanks
or distribution points, particularly in regions where access to electricity remains a major issue. The existing
pedal-powered systems often suffer from inconsistent water flow rates, leading to reduced efficiency and
reliability. To overcome this challenge, this study proposes the addition of a flywheel as an energy storage
device. The flywheel would store excess energy generated during pedaling and release it during periods of
increased demand or when the operator needs to rest. By introducing this innovative solution, the study
aims to enhance the efficiency and reliability of pedal-powered water pumps, especially in the context of
small farms. This not only alleviates the physical strain on farmers but also provides them with a sustainable
and dependable water source, ultimately improving agricultural practices and livelihoods in underserved
communities.

Project Goals (Objectives)

General Objective:

The general objective of this research is to develop, construct, and assess the practicability of an
efficient pedal-powered water pump for small-scale farm irrigation.

Specific Objectives:

• To explore the system's potential for maximizing water output per pedal rotation by harnessing the
stored energy in the flywheel.
• To determine the most efficient and effective design for a pedal-powered water pump that
incorporates a flywheel, with a focus on energy storage and release mechanisms.
• To determine the effectiveness of the flywheel in maintaining consistent water flow rates,
addressing variations and fluctuations, and ensuring reliable water supply for irrigation.

Impact and Outcomes

• The use of a flywheel enables for effective energy storage and release, minimizing the demand for
continual pedal effort. This efficiency reduces the operator's physical effort and maximizes energy
transmission to water lifting.
• the help of the flywheel, the pedal-powered water pump can maintain a more regular and continuous
water flow rate, assuring a stable water supply for irrigation even while the user is resting.
• Because of the flywheel's contribution to energy storage and transfer, the system can provide a
greater amount of water with each pedal revolution, increasing water output for irrigation. This
leads to a more efficient use of human effort, allowing users to extract more water for less physical
exertion.
• The incorporation of a flywheel can help maintain consistent water flow rates, even when the
operator's pedaling speed fluctuates.
References

Ejiko, Samuel & Omojogberun, V.. (2021). DEVELOPMENT OF A PEDAL POWERED WATER PUMP
(PPWP) 1*. 14.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/354171926_DEVELOPMENT_OF_A_PEDAL_POWERED_W
ATER_PUMP_PPWP_1

Hatta, Mochammad & Tjahjani, Ida & Nurmawati, Nurmawati. (2021). Analysis of the Level of Efficiency,
Effectiveness, and Convenience of Using a Pedal Powered Water Pump for Irrigation Activities. IJEBD
(International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Business Development). 4. 984-988.
10.29138/ijebd.v4i6.1597.

Lim, Jian Hung (2022) Design and Development of Pedal Powered Water Pump.
https://eprints.tarc.edu.my/id/eprint/23890

Akinnuli, B.O. & Fadiji³, E & Adekunle, Rita & Ojo, Oluwaseun & Ojo², O. (2019). Development of aPedal
Powered Centrifugal Pump for Rural Use.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340629473_Development_of_a_Pedal_Powered_Centrifugal_P
ump_for_Rural_Use

Ajao, Kajogbola & Mustapha, Kadiri & Mahamood, Rasheedat & Iyanda, Muritala. (2023). Design and
Development of a Pedal-powered Soap Mixer.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/268429162_Design_and_Development_of_a_Pedalpowered_So
ap_Mixer

Ma Myat Win Khaing1, Ma Yi Yi Khin2, Mg Than Zaw Oo1 (2019) Design and Construction of Pedal
Operated Water Pump https://doi.org/10.31142/ijtsrd26434

Bantelay, Dessie & Gebresenbet, Girma & Admasu, Bimrew. (2022). Challenges and Prospects of Hydro-
Pumps for Small Scale Irrigation. DOI:10.1007/978-3-030-93712-6_33

Hatta, Hatta & Mochammad, Mochammad & IK, Tjahjani & Wicaksono, Awang. (2019). Pedal Powered
Water Pump Application To Support Irrigation Activities In Carat Village, Gempol District, Pasuruan
Regency, East Java Province. Kontribusia (Research Dissemination for Community Development).
2. 1. DOI:10.30587/kontribusia.v2i2.999

Danmark Baumann Lars (2019) A water pump system powered by pedal power from a bicycle
https://patents.google.com/patent/DK201800028U3/en?q=(water)&q=(water+pump)&q=(belt)&q=(drive
+wheel)&q=(shaft)&before=priority:20180319&scholar

Chandan Singh Ujarari (2021) Designing a pedal-operated diaphragm pump and assessing its performance
https://doi.org/10.52783/trs.v7i4.1320

G Pranay Kumar (2021) PLAN AND CREATION OF A PEDAL FUELED WATER SIPHON AND
CLEANSING FRAMEWORK https://www.sc-media.org/articles/plan-and-creation-of-a-pedal-fueled-
water-siphon-and-cleansing-framework-81367.html

Yathisha N. (September 2017) Design and Fabrication of Pedal Powered Household Reciprocating Pump
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/331800708_Design_and_Fabrication_of_Pedal_Powered_Hous
ehold_Reciprocating_Pump