STUDENTS DESIGN A PORTABLE WELL DRILL

Women and children in developing countries sometimes walk miles each day to collect drinking water, often from contaminated sources. One solution is to tap safe water in a more convenient location by drilling a well, but a drill can cost US$800,000. Rotarians in San Luis Obispo, California, USA, worked with engineering students at a local university to design a rig that’s easy to maintain and can be built from inexpensive, widely available parts. (more after the break)

The students came up with the drill as part of their coursework at California Polytechnic State University. They researched the potential problems of drilling wells in developing countries, soliciting advice from drillers, geologists, and humanitarian aid providers. “It’s a really exciting thing,” says Tim Cleath, a hydrogeologist and member of the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. Cleath has worked on international water projects for three decades and was the technical coordinator on this effort. “We’re challenging students and giving them knowledge of needs overseas – and we’re making a piece of equipment.”

The rig uses an older technology called a percussion cable tool, but it’s equipped with modern hydraulic controls and can bore through solid bedrock. Powered by a 13-horsepower Honda motor, it acts like a slow jackhammer, sending a 500-pound weighted bit up and down once every second. Cable tool rigs are usually large, truck-mounted machines, but because this one is designed to drill smaller holes, it’s more portable.

The Rotarians involved in the project estimate that the rig will cost about $20,000 to construct. The students have completed a set of drawings and a master list of components that will be freely available, so anyone will be able to build one. They also will continue to work with Rotarians on the effort.

“We hope that we can get hundreds of these things operating in developing countries,” says Bob Hather, a member of the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo, which set up the project. “With the network of Rotary clubs out there, we may be able to accomplish that goal.”