Water Well Journal
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/592194
"Ensure the hand pump you choose is suitable for the hydrogeologic and socio-cultural conditions," Campana says. The Afridev configuration includes an open top cylinder where the piston can be removed from the cylinder with- out dismantling the rising main. The foot valve is retractable with a fishing tool. These design features have eased the burden of servicing them for Powell and his pump mechanics. "We've had some of the dry rods where one of the joints broke, which is a manufacturing defect, not a design issue," Powell says. "Some wells have pumped sand, so we've had to replace the seal in the plunger. They're pretty reliable pumps." The Ghanaian government tests the water before Powell installs a pump, which can take 30-35 minutes to install in a 100-foot setting. A cement pad is constructed in two days to prevent con- taminated surface water from entering the well and to prevent the area around the well from becoming muddy and unsanitary. WWJ November 2015 25 Twitter @WaterWellJournl Nathan Rittenour's growing frustra- tion with installing hand pumps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo spurred him to action. The director of development for Congo Frontline Missions believed a better alternative could be created— prompting him to design his own hy- draulic hand pump with the help of two engineers and a machinist. In testing, the hand pump has pumped more than 150,000 gallons of groundwater with more than one million hand strokes without any major breakdown. "My original plan was to produce the pump for my own use, but after seeing the poor quality of pumps in use in other countries, I want to make my pump available for sale for worldwide use," says the 34-year-old Rittenour who lives in Kasson, Minnesota. The pump's key component is its bladder design. Being hydraulic, Ritte- nour eliminated the need for the drop rod that goes to the bottom of the well. This and other moving components have been removed, eliminating poten- tial problems, according to Rittenour. Here is how the pump works: As the handle is pushed down, water is pushed into the bladder, expanding it. You can think of this bladder like a balloon. The bladder is inside of the lower main water cylinder. As the bladder expands, the water is pushed out of the cylinder into the output line, and thus out of the pump spout. As the handle is raised, the bladder shrinks and water is drawn into the cylinder, and the process is re- peated. The cylinder has two valves, one at the top and bottom, and an expanding bladder inside of it. Rittenour has drilled 38 water wells since February 2010 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a Little Beaver LS200H portable rig with an 11 hp hydraulic unit, 11 hp mud pump, and 5-foot drill stem. The aver- age depth of the 38 wells is 125 feet. The drilling formation is sand, gravel, or shale. His experience installing hand pumps includes the Afridev and India Mark III models, both manufactured in India for export to Africa. He found the DRC government-installed U2/U3 Modified Deep Well pumps—similar to India Mark models—to be well designed but poorly manufactured. This led most to last only three to nine months on average unless the manufac- turing defects were corrected and the pump was properly installed. He also had fits working with the Afridev polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe due to the bell end being manufactured too large—so the riser pipe on the pump leaked, forcing him to heat the pipe and re-bell it to fit properly. The machining of the pipe threads with the India Mark style pumps also gave Rit- tenour headaches. He had to cut off the ends and rethread them by hand and replace the couplings with new ones purchased in the United States. "I feel like I shouldn't have to be remanufacturing in the bush when all I have are limited supplies," Rittenour says. This led Rittenour to dedicate his time to developing his own pump last year when he returned to the United States. His goal is to guarantee the pump for three years without mainte- nance. Rittenour is also working on de- signing a frost-free option hand pump so it can operate in colder regions. Congo Frontline Missions, a manu- facturer member of the National Ground Water Association, is exhibit- ing at the 2015 NGWA Groundwater Expo and Annual Meeting, December 15-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada. A devel- opmental pump model will be on dis- play at the Expo. To learn more about Congo Front- line Missions, visit www.congofront- linemissions.org. Nathan Rittenour and his wife, Starla, with workers from left to right: Saele, Kayumba, Keetah, and Azariah in the Democratic Repub- lic of the Congo on April 13, 2014. Rittenour's hydraulic hand pump has pumped more than 150,000 gallons of groundwater with more than one million hand strokes with- out any major breakdown in testing. Photos courtesy Congo Frontline Missions. THE FUTURE continues on page 26 Struggles with Installation Lead to Development of New Water Well Hand Pump