Wind Pump
A wind operated water pump
Our turbine can generate electricity or drive a pump connected directly to the output shaft. The pump on our turbine can pump water for desalination plants, water for irrigation or for pumped-storage hydro.
How does our wind turbine pump water?
The pump is directly connected to the vertical output shaft of our wind turbine at ground level. It has several horizontal cylinders (usually 3 or more) with one end connected to the turbine foundation and the other to a reciprocating bearing and housing on the shaft. This short video shows the frame in green, the cylinders in black and the stationary shaft in the middle. For clarity, the video shows components in a vertical position but in reality, they are horizontal and close to the ground.
Two check valves on each end of the cylinder (not shown in video) control the flow of the water as the piston inside the cylinder moves in and out; therefore, creating a flow rate. Restriction of this flow rate controls the speed of the turbine and it could be the membrane in a desalination plant, nozzles on an irrigation system or an altitude change for energy storage to be used in a hydro plant.
A HAWT wind turbine that is used to generate electricity works similar to how a windmill would pump water, but it has electrical and mechanical components that are 40% or more of the total cost of the wind turbine. The water pump does not need a gear box or specialized equipment for its operation. The pump is simple and can be maintained by anyone, anywhere in the world. This is a positive displacement pump, so the efficiency is high. The size of the wind turbine and the size and stroke of each cylinder can be modified according to the flow rate and pressure needed.
HAWT have blades that need to be turned into the wind and the output shaft is high above the ground. Therefore, attaching this type of pump to a HAWT is a difficult process. However, the shaft on our turbine is stationary and at ground level, which makes it easy to attach the pump. This water pump is an excellent device for extracting energy from a slow turning wind turbine.