EngineerAid.com

Enquiry Title: Animal Power

Enquirer: TWENDE

Status: Mailed-out

Skills: Agricultural, Electrical, Energy, Mechanical, Power.

Volunteers: 6 Volunteered, 2 Requested.

22/07/2009

EngineerAid has saved the enquirer approximately  hours of engineering consultancy fees so far on this project! How this number was calculated

The range of renewable power sources for villages that NGOs talk about includes three that can provide electrical power. These are wind turbines, solar panels and diesel engines driven by locally grown biofuel (jatropha oil usually).

Yet most rural villages have animals that are used for ploughing, carrying, and pulling carts. In northern Tanzania anyway, they are not very fully occupied.

Could we use oxen to turn stationary machinery? Why not? I propose to make a large horizontal wheel, about 12m dia, running close to the ground, pulled round by a pair of oxen. A rope around the wheel will turn a pulley fixed somewhere near which can drive various machines. Generator. Mill. Sheller. Water pump. Oil expeller.

I'm happy to put a lot more meat on that bare skeleton of the idea if anyone requests it.

I would welcome all comments, positive and negative. There may be experience out there somewhere that I should be aware of.

Jim Elsworth. Retired mechanical engineer from UK. Now living in Arusha, Tanzania and running a small NGO - Twende. (www.twende-tanzania.org)