Design, testing and analysis of an inline one-way valve for developing world agricultural water transfer applications
Open Access
- Author:
- Steiner, Matthew R
- Area of Honors:
- Interdisciplinary in Engineering Leadership Development and Mechanical Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Dr. Richard J Schuhmann, Thesis Supervisor
Zoubeida Ounaies, Thesis Honors Advisor
Eric M Mockensturm, Faculty Reader - Keywords:
- Treadle pump
Check valves
Low-density polyethylene seals
LDPE seals
Developing world agriculture
Water transfer application - Abstract:
- In developing world agricultural applications, the critical process of transferring irrigation water from a source to an irrigation channel has proved an economic and technical challenge to many NGO's, as well as the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. The goal of this research was to identify and quantify the performance characteristics of limiting components within the world's most common apparatus, the treadle pump, used in this transfer process. This research led to the thesis that a redevelopment of the check valve, or one-way valve, would lower the overall cost of the treadle pump and significantly aid in the community adoption of this technology globally. A one-way valve was developed with the final cost 24% of the original commercial component. The new valve was tested for key physical performance parameters such as head loss across the valve under normal flow conditions to validate the design. The results from this experimentation show that the new valve is more suitable for developing world agriculture than current commercial valves. The new valve also possesses increased manufacturability that can aid in its implementation and maintenance by local groups, reducing their reliance on international manufacturers. This design significantly reduces component costs while maintaining acceptable performance. In addition, the design process employed demonstrates that using an appropriate design specific to the developing world can reduce the need for subsidies by successfully employing user-centric design.