Development of Stirling Pump mechanism for Irrigation in remote rural farms

Abstract

Inadequate supply of safe water, the requirement of food exports, Low GDP creates a scenario where 26% of the population in the Sub-Saharan Africa suffer from food insecurity. Cultivation of food locally is necessary to drive the cost of food down. This can be done using the abundant groundwater source in the region, however, the energy cost of harvesting the water supply is very high and hence not presently utilised. While solar PV technology is readily available, PV solutions are much too expensive for small scale rural farmers. This research aims at developing a solar thermal powered Stirling pump that can be produced locally, using local resources to reduce irrigation costs and provide income, food and energy security in the region, by promoting independent farming through small-scale farms. In order to develop the Stirling pump, a Low Temperature Differential (LTD) Stirling engine has been modelled in 3D, simulated and investigated with the help of Computational Fluid Dynamics with ANSYS 16.1 software. The Analysis is aimed at obtaining a true representation of the pressure, temperature and compression ratio that dictate the functioning of a Gamma type Stirling engine. This model developed can then be modified and improved upon to further boost the performance of the Stirling Engine to be integrated with a water pumping system to extract ground water for irrigation purposes.