Farm Update 08-Nov-2018 Mechanical amplifier

Farm update:

Finally the windpump mechanical amplifier  for the Poldaw windpump is ready.  What initially I set out to design and fabricate has now been completed after several rounds of visits to lathe and welding shops.  Past 2 weeks there were intensive activity around this on followup amidst my business work.

The welding helpers lost interest at some point of time. They found this an obstacle in their shop as it occupies space. I hurried myself and finished the thing. Actually I wanted to prepare more tools for Subbu, but confined myself only to this amplifier.

Sending this was also a challenge. My farm is 1000 kilometers away. The transport / logistics company was asking invoice papers. This is R&D piece and have no papers. A search and  by chance a transporter agreed to send this by lorry "whenever it goes" after Diwali Holidays.  Hope Subbu will receive this and fit it properly.

Subbu has returned from Tirupati Darshan.  It went well. he was in touch all along partly to confirm his ticket and seats online.

Meanwhile there is plenty of rain at the farm. This is rainy season there.  Subbu has disconnected the electric wires. Kandan should feel safe. I did not approve the wire being drawn from one room to another without pole. I asked him to secure this quickly. After return from Tirupadi, Subbu has to fabricate 2" pipes in welding shop and make electric poles.

The main unit. The face plate will move up and down along with railings on both sides. This will lift the pump rod.

This mechanism will be pushed from top by the windmill.  This is a slider and can be moved back on the cantiliver.
The more it is moved back, the bigger will be the arc of sweep and hence more water.

Fulcrum at the back. The split on top is for easy removal for repair and refitting.  Theft can happen.

Side view

Sending by a mini tempo. I went in this tempo and searched transporter

This is the original drawing I conceived out of mind and drew on computer using "sketchup" software.  I hope
the final product has come out exactly like this.
This method works.

Can We survive this summer ?

Around 10th July, 2014 I had made this simple diagram on microsoft sketch.
This was just for myself. I did not communicate this to Subbu.
Had I done, he would have got confused.
So I had to go step by step

It has always been at the back of my mind and that of Subbu's.  Now it has come to the forehead and lingering over.    Can we survive this summer.  Till last summer, we did not have any water source. We used to pump the water using handpump.  This is the first year, I have the pukka plan in place, complete with all ideas put into action.

Here is the quick review of it.

Step 1 :   After the installation of the windmill followed by a ready made plastic tank at 15 feet. For this we fabricated an iron frame.  Initially it did not support the weight, later it was reinforced. From this overhead tank of 1000 liters, water is sometimes directly taken for irrigation using the green hose. Otherwise overflow should go to the large cement tank

The water  tank atop an iron frame.  Pumped water comes into this.
The small tank at the bottom ground level was the first tank we constructed before the windmill.
today it is used to excess store water, panjagavya water etc.

Step 2 : We constructed a simple water Tank of large capacity (30 feet x 10) feet with unfinished bricks on the outer wall.  Water from windmill will fall into this. Notice a small thin water flow at the end. Underneath this tank we can open the valve which will let the water to the rainwater tank through an underground PVC pipe that we had laid earlier.

The main water tank.  windpump water will fall into this.  I believe this is getting filled in one week now.
This is full of moss growth. There are fishes in it.

Step 3 : The final destination. Rain water tank as it stands today. Note the water has hit the bottom. The tank is only 6 feet deep.

This is the open inlet to collect water from all directions and direct to
the rainwater tank. It is in the place where you are standing.
This is artificially made. Earlier the ground was flat.

The rainwater catchment tank. All drain water comes here.  This is fully muddy.
There are plenty of fishes growing here. Concern is that water level is receding. one full tank of water from cement tank will raise few inches of water here. 

From this muddy tank, if we need to pump water, we need the kerosene engine pump which is kept ready.

I am afraid, with current generation rate of water, if we will be water positive or negative during peak summer. Crossing fingers and waiting.  Subbu told that we need to sustain for atleast 2 more months? Why did he say 2 months? what will happen after that? Is he expecting rain or closing down of few patches ? Need to discuss further. I need to check the last year rain pattern.

We are anyway going to take risk by planting more plants.  Hey where is Kandan ? Has he come from his sick bed. I wanted him to prepare sowing mappillai samba rice on a small patch.

***

Subbu and Paramu atop Windmill tower

They are trying to repair the windmill which has a bearing slip problem for the past 10 days or more.  Since monsoon is at peak, we have plenty of rain and water. Therefore we reported this to ABS who went into action slowly and sent a solution.

The part has arrived after a delay of week. As expected it is not useful to solve the problem. Therefore Subbu told that they will go in Jugad way. Dismantle the part, take to valliyoor and re-do the thing.   The objective is to keep the slipping ball bearing in place.

Hope they will achieve their objective.

Wind speed at Nachankulam - 83 days

The below is observation for the past 83 days.  This time I have provided two lines, one for day and another for night. This dipiction gives a different prespective. It also establishes that Day time wind speed is higher than night.  There was an error in assumption earlier that night wind was faster. But stands corrected now. Day wind is faster than night. 

Secondly there are long periods of low wind, both day and night. Between 10th and 18th February the wind speeds were below 3 Meters / Second.  Here 3 m/s is the minimum speed required to kick start the rotor of the wind mill. May be it could be 2.5 m/s as per manufacturer. whatever it is, keeping some safety margin is better.  Such long periods of low wind means, we need to store water when it is available and use it judiciously.  This can be linked to the earlier post of water tank. Water tank is must now to store water. 

The good news is there is WIND.  So next month once the new ABS windmill is up and running, i should hopefully solve the water crisis.

Presently water is still being pumped manually using handpump. Kandan is unable to cope with the heat and the hard work. One more worker is under considertation for appointment, preferably a women. Women employees are good at pouring water to each plant as per their needs. After all they are mothers. I want to establish a gender balance from the beginning. Once the wind mill is up, then kandan and the new worker can start the nursary farm and keep expanding... That is the idea.

Subbu has made all arrangements on foundations for the wind pump.  Using the template couriered by ABS, the bolts have been fixed in concrete pillars beneth the surface.  There was a proposal to remove the handpump now in order to fix the middle template given by ABS. That is required for holding the wind mill pump assembly and transmission gear. But this idea was ruled out by me and the team. We will remove in the last minute.  We need water till the wind mill is delivered anyway which is 10 days away.