• Background
• Who are we?
• Goals
• Support Needed
• Contact Information

Our students are refining their understanding of the pump mechanism with the help of Richard Crapuchettes (seen in the blue at the left).

Background

The MESA program of Solano Community College in Fairfield, CA has teamed up with Trust in Education, a non-profit organization that provides educational and economical opportunities in Afghanistan. About a dozen engineering and science students will research, design, and build a self-sufficient water pump, which utilizes no electricity or manpower. The main goal is to utilize the available water provided by streams to irrigate farmland and provide fresh usable water to the now barren region of Lalander, Afghanistan. The estimated 3,000 people of this small village depend on the availability and access to water for their survival. The students have researched and developed several hydraulic ram pumps. The objectives of the project were to gain a comprehensive understanding of the operating principles and analyze in detail the operation of the ram pump and the physics involved in its function. Ultimately, they will build the pump at Solano Community College and send the designs to Afghanistan.

Who are we and how long is this project?

The core of our group consists of one student assistant coordinator and seven students with an additional four student support staff. They possess a diverse range of fields of expertise: Biology, Chemistry, Genetics, Physics, Environmental Toxicology, Mathematics, Biomedical Engineering, and Biotechnology, to name a few. They began working on the project on September 9th, 2005 and were scheduled to complete and test the real-scale working pump by February 3rd, 2006. The project will continue past the scheduled date due to complications with the test site and poor weather conditions.

Goals

The goals for these students are to:

1. Research several different pumps and pumping techniques and to choose the type of pump best-suited for the Lalander region
2. Produce pump designs suitable for manufacturing in developing countries using simple materials and production techniques
3. Test the designs for their performance and efficiency
4. Optimize the water system at the test site for various pumps
5. Provide the villagers with designs and instructions for installation of the ram pump.

The project is divided into four phases:

• Research Phase
• Design Phase
• Build Phase
• Test and Optimization Phase.

As of March 2006, the students have drawn up initial plans for the pump in AutoCAD and have constructed five working prototypes for hydraulic ram pumps. Having completed the first three phases, the students are now optimizing the pump in a seasonal creek.

Industry Support Needed

Currently, our group is asking industry members for three main sources of support:

1. We need sponsorship from industry members or water resource departments. Although this support can be financial, we prefer nominal sponsorship for industry or department names with which our group project can be affiliated. If an organization is willing to support us financially, we have a budgeting schedule available, upon request. Also, we will accept donations of materials (e.g., piping, valves, pump parts, etc.).
    
2. We need some experts to advise us while we build the pump at Solano. We are looking for water experts, hydraulic engineers, and hydrologists experienced with hydraulic ram pumps that can counsel us about proper water pump construction, particularly about safety issues and optimization.
    
3. We need water resource management people who can provide our students with some perspective on our project by hosting colloquia on the importance of this project in the context of international relations.

If you or anyone you know can provide us with any of the above three requests, please let us know. If you have any questions, please contact Robert Payawal, Luis Godoy, Mostafa Ghous, or Dr. David Redfield. (Our contact information appears below.) If you would like to be invited to any of our students’ progress reports / meetings, please let us know so that we can add you to our email list. For information on Trust in Education, please visit www.trustineducation.org.

Contact Information

Robert Payawal
Solano Community College MESA Program
MESA Academic Excellence Workshop Coordinator
Lalander Humanitarian Project Coordinator
(707) 864-7000 x4498
E-mail

Mostafa Ghous
Solano Community College MESA Program
MESA Director
(707) 863-7863
E-mail

Dr. David Redfield
Solano Community College MESA Program
Dean of Mathematics and Science
(707) 863-7110
E-mail

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