| ||||
|
|
|
| |||||||||
|
Kansas inventor wins national award By Doug Rich A Kansas inventor was honored by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) at their annual meeting in Las Vegas in July. Buddy Armstrong, Armstrong Energy, LLC in Buhler, Kan., received the AE50 2003 award in July for having one of the top 50 innovations for agriculture this year. According to Resource Magazine, this award represents the best and the brightest products developed throughout the world for the agricultural, food, and biological systems industry. Products eligible for the award had to be introduced to the marketplace for the first time in 2002. The solar powered relatively balanced pumping system invented by Armstrong, who works out of a shop on his farm near Buhler, was listed right along with products by the giants in agricultural manufacturing like John Deere and AGCO. Although his pump officially went on the market in August, 2002, the idea began at a Christmas party in Texas in 1979. Armstrong met a man from Kenya, Africa, at the party who told him about all the problems they were having in his country finding a dependable water pump for remote areas. "We thought that with all of today's technology there had to be a way to pump water out of the ground efficiently with a machine that is not so complicated that they cannot work on it and not so expensive they cannot afford it," says Buddy Armstrong. "I did not know anything about pumps but I began to do some research," says Armstrong. Buddy Armstrong, who has a strong electrical-mechanical background, always enjoyed tinkering. "I built a black and white television from scratch when I was in high school," he says. He had an FCC Class II license that allowed him to work on TV and radio transmitters and for a few years he worked building communication towers before going into sales with heating and air conditioning companies like York International and Carrier. As he traveled around the country with this job he spent his free time researching pumps. This research led him to the conclusion that a reciprocating positive displacement pump, like a windmill or an oil well, was the best bet for a good efficient pump. "At this point it became a mathematical challenge to create a balanced system that required very little energy." Trial and error resulted in a working prototype that he installed on some property he owned near Huntsville, Texas. The well was 82-feet deep and was 60-feet to water. "It proved the system could work," says Armstrong. His pump did away with the heavy sucker rod and leathers found on other similar pumps to make it lighter and more reliable. A spring in the pump is used to pull the rod back up for the next stroke. "Next I had to find the perfect spring compression to match the counter balance." The pump uses a solar panel to power a small motor that is connected to a belt around a weighted fly wheel. As the fly wheel turns it pushes a rod down into a pump cylinder. The spring then pulls the rod back up for the next stroke. All of the components are stainless steel. Armstrong made a few changes over the next few years to reduce resistance, found the best materials to use, and applied for a patent in 1991. On Aug. 9, 1994, he was awarded patent number 5,336,061 for his solar powered pumping system. To verify the numbers he was recording with his pump, Armstrong asked MAMTC at Wichita State University (WSU) to test his pumps. WSU tested his Model 50 Stockman pump and his Model 80 Hoss pump. The Model 50 produced 2.243 gallons per minute at a well head depth of 31-feet and the Model 80 produced 5.22 gallons per minute at a well head depth of 30-feet. The efficiency of the pumps was measured in watts per gallon. In the test conducted by WSU the Model 50 used 12.32 watts per gallon and the Model 80 used 10.03 watts per gallon. The report from WSU stated, "The results of this comparison showed the Armstrong Pump to be more efficient than any other pump in the group." Armstrong has developed several models based on his original design. The smallest is the Model 30 with a 30-inch fly wheel that he calls the Gardener. At the opposite end is the Model 100 with a 100-inch fly wheel that he calls the Village Irrigator. Armstrong has a Model 100 installed on his farm and is using it to fill a small pond. Still in development is the Brutus that will feature a 200-inch flywheel. The Brutus will have a 22-foot frame, a 9-inch piston, a 6-foot stroke and at a flywheel speed of 40 RPM will pump 750 gallons per minute. "The bigger they get the more efficient they are," says Armstrong. "The original idea was to keep it simple for use in developing countries, but guess what, farmers over here like it too," says Armstrong. "It is all at ground level and all they have to do is grease a couple of bearings and that is it." An added feature of his pumps is that in an absolute emergency they can be operated by hand. After 22 years of research and development, Buddy Armstrong is ready to find some partners who can help take the next step, which is to build a facility on his farm and start mass producing his solar pumps. His plan is to start by marketing the Model 50 Stockman but says his pumps have other applications such as drip irrigation, water remediation, filling wetlands, and rural fire protection. "I want to sell them and let someone else make them," says Armstrong. For the past 22 years he has done everything from engineering to marketing by himself. His ultimate goal is still to supply a reliable solar powered pump to places like Kenya, providing people with clean drinking water and telling them about Jesus Christ. "I want to follow a well driller all the way across Africa installing pumps and handing out Bibles," says Armstrong. Date: 7/31/03
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2008. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
