Volanta pump

The context

In poor (rural) areas, people often rely on unsafe water sources for their drinking water need. By drawing water from (deep) underground aquifers, people can have access to clean drinking water. For this purpose, different water pumps suitable to serve a whole community have been developed. In this context, the Volanta pump has been developed for those situations where water tables are deep.

The technology

The Volanta pump is operated by turning a large flywheel. The special feature of the pump is that the cylinder unit can be extracted for servicing by lifting it through the rising main, whereas for most pumps the whole rising main must be removed before the cylinder can be reached.

This Volanta pump was originally developed as a hand pump for rural water supply but increasingly it is driven by an engine, electric motor or solar power.

The application

Volanta pumps are not always the obvious choice and in many cases cheaper pumps can do the job just as well. In general, the use of Volanta pumps is advised:

if the use will be intensive
if intervals between breakdowns must be long
where corrosion resistance is important
where the water is deep
where water needs to be lifted to a higher reservoir
where future motorization is likely.

To date, Volanta pumps are used in rather large numbers in Burkina Faso, Niger, Cameroon, Angola and Mozambique, and in small numbers in Mali, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Benin, Senegal, Brazil and India.

Higher capacity version

In many regions there is a need for a deep well irrigation pump which can be operated by a diesel engine. For this purpose PRACTICA redesigned the Volanta pump to work with a 6cm piston and a crank throw of 60cm. This pump has a capacity of 2 l/s when lifting water from a depth of 50m. A prototype has been built and is in operation in India since early 2004.

The facts

Pumping depth	up to 100 m
Yield	18 litres per minute at 30 m
Costs	1300 Euro off factory for 30m 200 Euro for installation at 30m
Numbers	7000 installed in total, of which some 5000 in Burkina Faso

Training and introduction

PRACTICA can assist with starting up a local production. We can provide a potential manufacturer with a full set of workshop drawings, a production manual, an installation and maintenance manual and spare parts catalogues.

PRACTICA can also help in establishing a supply chain for the raw materials and can provide on the job training.