Double Acting Reciprocating Pump

 
In the monsoon-dependent Indian scenario, equipment for lifting water from the ground plays an important role in farming. As farmers face acute water scarcity due to the falling water table, accessing under ground water through an efficient reliable pump has become imperative. Having had first hand experience both in farming and in motor rewinding, Manubha knew that drawing groundwater by using submersible pumps was an unreliable and expensive preposition. Finally he has developed an innovative double acting reciprocating pump.  
This innovation comprises a water-lifting pump adapted to be operated by means of a prime mover through a balancing mechanism. It can be mainly classified as having two parts i.e. a pumping unit and a lifting mechanism. The pumping unit consists of the piston,cylinder (Bi-housing body), valves, oil seal, sleeve, compression ring, piston rod and suction and discharge pipes. The pump works on the principle of reciprocation of the piston and the cylinder. Creation of vacuum resulting in suction and compressing of the water resulting in discharge is the basic principle of operation. Each cycle consists of two strokes. Both the strokes are effective and hence it is known as a Double Acting Reciprocating Pump. The lifting mechanism consists of the crank, coupler, walking beam and connecting rod. Prime mover (electric power or diesel engine), belt and pulley, revolute joints and bearings are also the accessories of the mechanism. The mechanism works on the principle of four-bar linkage mechanism having single degrees of freedom and there is a provision of balancing the load in the mechanism.  
Using two chambers in the cylinder as well as a creative arrangement of valves, double acting is achieved. This water lifting pump can be installed in the well bore or any other suitable water source simply by increasing the length of the piston rod of the pump. Manubha has also developed an idea of balancing mechanism in this pump. In the conventional pump, weight of the piston rod remains unbalanced and so during upstroke, the lifting mechanism needs to carry the extra load of the piston rod. However during the down stroke the piston rod reduces the required workload. But, due to this, the total system suffers from an unbalanced load distribution throughout the cycle. By introducing the balancing mechanism, the innovator has introduced a system, where throughout the cycle, the load is uniformly distributed. Adjusting the weight of the balancing mechanism enables the smooth operation of the pump.