Clean Energy Brands Tech Support

101 Solar Water Pump Systems

There are really only two basic types of solar pumps; positive displacement and centrifugal and these can
both be subdivided into surface mount and submersible categories. Your water source will dictate whether
you need to use a surface mount or submersible pump while your daily volume requirement and total
dynamic head (TDH) will determine if you need a positive displacement pump or centrifugal pump. In general,
positive displacement pumps (diaphragm, piston, helical rotor, etc.) are best used where the TDH (total
dynamic head) is high and the daily volume requirement is low. Positive displacement pumps usually require
less power to operate than a centrifugal pump and they will produce some water even in cloudy conditions
where a centrifugal pump might not. Centrifugal pumps are good in situations where the TDH is low and the
daily volume requirement is high.

Positive displacement pumps are further classified based upon the displacement: Reciprocating pump if the
displacement is by reciprocation of a piston plunger. Reciprocating pumps are used only for pumping viscous
liquids and oil wells. Rotary pumps if the displacement is by rotary action of a gear, cam or vanes in a
chamber of diaphragm in a fixed casing. Rotary pumps are further classified such as internal gear, external
gear, lobe and slide vane etc. These pumps are used for special services with particular conditions existing in
industrial sites. In all positive displacement type pumps, a fixed quantity of liquid is pumped after each
revolution. So if the delivery pipe is blocked, the pressure rises to a very high value, which can damage the
pump. In principle, any liquid can be handled by any of the pump designs. Where different pump designs
could be used, the centrifugal pump is generally the most economical followed by rotary and reciprocating
pumps. Although, positive displacement pumps are generally more efficient than centrifugal pumps, the
benefit of higher efficiency tends to be offset by increased maintenance costs. Centrifugal pump has to
operate at a high enough rpm to push the water all the way out of the well. If it is cloudy and the solar array is
not producing enough power, the pump/motor may be turning but not fast enough to do this.

The solar pumps are equipped with a motor. This can be DC or AC. If an AC motor is used then an inverter
is needed. AC motors are more widely available. Inverters have become cheap and efficient and solar
pumping systems use special electronically controlled variable-frequency inverters which will optimize
matching between the panel and the pump. A typical AC system would also need batteries which require
maintenance and add to the cost as the system is less efficient and would need a larger array. The most
efficient type of DC motor is a permanent magnet motor. CD motors may have carbon brushes which
replacing when they wear out, If a brushed dc motor is used then the equipment will need to be pulled up
from the well (approximately every 2 years) to replace brushes. Majority of solar pumps applications
(irrigation, stock water feeding, etc.) are referring to water wells and therefore to submersible pumps. It is
very important to know the main elements of a water well and the way solar pumps are placed into well
casing. The well pumps are either submersible pumps or jet pumps .
Submersible Pumps vs. Jet Pumps: Submersible and jet pumps are both used in domestic groundwater
systems. When high flow rates and pressure settings are required at high operating efficiencies, submersible
pumps are generally preferred. Submersible pumps have the advantage of performing well both in shallow
well applications as well as at depth to several thousand feet. An extensive range of submersible pump
models is also available allowing a precise match to exact system requirements.

About the water wells:

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Solar water systems are using drilled wells equipped with submersible pumps. The water wells are either
shallow wells (relative close to the surface) or deep wells. Wells are drilled in an area called "Aquifer". An
aquifer contains water with a low conductivity actually a sandwich of layers soaked with water. At a certain
deep called water table, the water accumulate and for a certain depth it becomes consistent and ready to be
lifted to the surface. The water table sometime recedes. The difference between the water table levels (min
and max depth) it is called "Draw down". This value it is very important to be known and allows us to place
the water pump in an area where is secure to operate (under the water table plus the drown down deep
length) . The aquifer is a living entity and it has own balance.

Wells are drilled and cased respective sealed to remain septic during the operation. The case runs up to the
surface of the water table . The casing it is mainly made of clay , bentonite clay or concrete. The deep well
continue from the water table level with a 15" in diameter drilled hole up to the confined aquifer level. For very
deep drills the electric motor it is placed at the surface on the top of the well shaft for easy maintenance
purpose.

Pumping system characteristics

1. Resistance of the system: head
Pressure is needed to pump the liquid through the system at a certain rate. This pressure has to be
high enough to overcome the resistance of the system, which is also called head. The total head is
the sum of static head and friction head:
Static head
Static head is the difference in height between the source and destination of the pumped liquid.
Static head is independent of flow. The static head at a certain pressure depends on the weight of
the liquid and can be calculated with this equation:

Head (in feet) = Pressure (psi) X 2.31 / Specific gravity(SG) = hs + hd

or
H = [Pd-Ps] x 2.31 / SG
Static head consists of: Static suction head (hS): resulting from lifting the liquid relative to the
pump center line. The hS is positive if the liquid level is above pump centerline, and negative if the
liquid level is below pump centerline (also called suction lift). Static discharge head (hd): the
vertical distance between the pump centerline and the surface of the liquid in the destination tank.
Friction head (hf)
This is the loss needed to overcome that is caused by the resistance to flow in the pipe and fittings.
It is dependent on size, condition and type of pipe, number and type of pipe fittings, flow rate, and
nature of the liquid. The friction head is proportional to the square of the flow rate. A closed loop
circulating system only exhibits friction head (i.e. not static head).

Pump performance curve

The head and flow rate determine the performance of a pump, which is graphically shown as
theperformance curve or pump characteristic curve. The figure shows a typical curve of a centrifugal
pump where the head gradually decreases with increasing flow. As the resistance of a system
increases, the head will also increase. This in turn causes the flow rate to decrease and will

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eventually reach zero. A zero flow rate is only acceptable for a short period without causing to the
pump to burn out.

How to calculate pump performance

The work performed by a pump is a function of the total head and of the weight of the liquid
pumped in a given time period. Pump shaft power (Ps) is the actual horsepower delivered to the
pump shaft, and can be calculated as follows:

Pump shaft power Ps = Hydraulic power hp / Pump efficiency ηpump

or:
Pump efficiency ηpump = Hydraulic power hp / Pump shaft power

Pump output, water horsepower or hydraulic horsepower (hp) is the liquid horsepower delivered by
the pump, and can be calculated as follows:

Hydraulic power hp = Q (m3/s) x (hd - hs in m) x ρ (kg/m3) x g (m/s2) / 1000

Where:
Q = flow rate
hd = discharge head
hs = suction head
ρ = density of the fluid
g = acceleration due to gravity
Type of solar pump applications

Array-Direct to Elevated Storage.

The most efficient solar water-pumping systems are PV-direct without batteries. This classic off-grid
pumping solution connects a DC submersible pump directly to the PV array. One additional
component, either a controller or linear current booster (LCB) wired between the PV array and the
pump, optimizes the relationship between array voltage and current to maximize the amount of
water pumped under varying sunlight conditions. When the sun is shining, the pump moves water to
a tank located above the waters point of use. (For potable water, use only drinking-water-grade
tanks.) For each 2.31 feet of elevation, there will be 1 psi of water pressure. Many household water
supplies operate at about 40 psi (though down to 20 psi can often work), so locating the storage
tank about 100 feet higher than the point of use will provide adequate water pressure.

Array-Direct to Storage Tank with Pressure Pump.

If you like the efficiency of DC pumping and want stored water at your disposal, but dont have enough of an

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elevation change on your property for a gravity system, there are still options. A PV-direct DC pump can be
configured to fill a storage tank near its point of use, and an additional DC or AC booster pump can be
installed at the tank to pressurize the water.
This solution gets the heavy lifting (from the well to the storage tank) done whenever the suns shining, and
limits energy use during cloudy periods to a smaller pressure pump that activates via a pressure switch when
water is used. While this configuration gives you more flexibility to choose when you consume the energy
required to pump well water, the up-front costs of the storage tank and additional pressure pump add to
overall system cost and installation complexity.

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