JERUSALEM, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have developed a solar water pump for use in remote regions without power supply, the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion) said Tuesday.
Powered by heat collected from solar radiation, it can pump water from wells in remote arid regions without power supply or any other energy source so to improve the agricultural yield, the Technion said.
The pump is based on an acoustic motor, with no pistons or other moving parts as in car engines. It is cheap and simple to manufacture, assemble and maintain.
The engine, which includes a conical tube made of sheet metal, functions as an acoustic resonator, the Technion researchers explained.
Its wide end absorbs sunlight, thus heating the gas which spreads to the rest of the tube where it cools and contracts. This intermittent operation generates a sound wave, which serves as a kind of moving piston that creates a pump, according to the researchers.
"The new technology is also useful for cooling, as the sound wave can replace the compressor in refrigerators and air conditioners. Other possible uses are ventilation, power generation and water purification," they added. ■
