SPI - Current Project

The 2010 - 2011 Project

The team is currently working on a human-powered pump design that provides a solution for issues encountered on the team's 2010 summer trip to Senegal. The first pump, created by the L.E.G.S - SPI team, lacked the ability to draw water up out of a 23-foot well. The current project is focusing on this issue as well as continuing general research on human-powered pump design and third-world manufacturing techniques.

Design Requirements and Constraints

• Locally Sustainable - Maintenance must not rely on parts or skilled labor which are difficult to obtain.
• Low-cost - Must be accessible to farmers in extreme poverty.
• Low-maintenance - Must not be maintenance intensive to operate for prolonged periods of time.
• Adaptable to differing environments - Must be able to operate in a variety of climates

Specifications and Target Values

• Local fabrication - All parts and skilled labor necessary to produce and maintain available locally
• Total initial cost of system - Less than 50 USD
• Maximum suction head - 25 ft.
• Minimum Flow Rate - 1200 GPH