AIDFI Ram Pump

topz (27)in #aidfi • 7 years ago (edited)

AIDFI Ram Pump
Categories: Water & Waste Water, Food & Agriculture, Waste Management

Organization: Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation Inc. (AIDFI)

Contact: Auke Idzenga

Used by: Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, Nepal, Afghanistan, Peru, Colombia, Costa Rica, France, Cameroon

Solution:
The AIDFI Ram Pump is a perfected model of a forgotten technology: the Hydraulic Ram Pump. A Ram is a device which utilizes the energy contained in falling water (hydro power) to lift a portion of this water to high elevations 24/7. For the AIDFI model there are hardly any operating costs since it doesn’t use electricity or fuel and has very cheap locally available spare parts (ordinary door hinge and valve from an old car tire). The AIDFI model is a crossbreed (best of both) of expensive-heavy-duty-cast models commercially available and inferior-low-cost models developed by Appropriate Technology Groups and Universities. The AIDFI Ram Pump compared to other ram pumps uses a steel to steel impulse valve mechanism, making regular and costly replacement of gaskets unnecessary. This unique mechanism makes the model also very efficient. The highest elevation reached so far in actual setting has been 240 meters and can most probably go beyond that. Another uniqueness is that the pumps are made one by one as per order and are already available in ten different sizes with each pump having a specific flow range making it a perfect solution for either drinking or irrigation projects.