Conception d’un système de pompage d’eau solaire photovoltaïque expérimental pour régions isolées : mécanique, simulations et perspectives d’implantation

Abstract

Freshwater is one of the most precious commodities on Earth. Without it, nothing grows and nothing lives, development is impossible. Despite this, today, access to it is very uneven around the world, jeopardising the survival and health of members of several communities. In order to respond to this context, the nature of the research work is then twofold. The first is to carry out the mechanical design of a test bed that simulates a full-scale photovoltaic pumping system for an isolated community. The second objective is to conceptualise the implementation of a scalable solar pumping system, inspired by the test bench, in order to optimise the prospects of a community’s consumption evolutions over time. Therefore, to achieve these two objectives, several topics are addressed in this memoir. A literature review that presents the current state of research in the field. A comprehensive methodology. There are one year simulations of solar pumping systems, using two separate tools. Finally, an analysis of the integrity of the photovoltaic pumping system is performed. It includes two crucial studies. All this work leads to many results and conclusions. The test bench is feasible. The sizing is done with the objective of choosing the best conventional components to maximise the amount of water pumped with only a standard panel for a surface water source. Its entire operating range is set within a pumping height interval of 1m to 11m. Thus, it has the ability to pump, respectively, between 54.65 m3/d and 7.44 m3/d or feed, respectively, between 218 and 29 people consuming 250 L/d of water. These results are in line with a probability of water shortage of less than 5%. The quantities pumped thus allow a community to be self-sufficient in various aspects at the same time. An ageing study shows that the probability of a water shortage over 25 years increases from 5% to 19.52% with a just-in-time reservoir, and from 5% to 7.9% with a three-day reservoir. The structural integrity of the test bed, in the face of a 145 km/h wind stress as well as its own weight, is validated. The range of flow rates not to be exceeded according to the pump suction height is explained in the document in order to avoid cavitation. The scalable pumping system has six distinct modes corresponding to the number of PV panels in the system. The six different configurations and the technical methods for implementing them are detailed in the study. It can then supply between 80 and 502 people consuming 250L/d or between 200 and 1255 people with a comfort consumption of 100L/d. The structural integrity of the PV panel support of the scalable system is validated with some caveats on the class of the supporting screws of the assembly.

Date	7 Jun 2022
Original language	French
Awarding Institution	École de technologie supérieure
Supervisor	Daniel Rousse (Supervisor)