Alizes windpumps in Senegal

Following good results in Mauritania, ALIZES project planned :

• fabrication and utilisation of the OASIS windpump, multiblade windpump :  diameter 3 meters, tower 7.5 or 10 meters.

• renovation of some "argentines" FIASA windpumps (these windpumps were installed in some villages more than 10 years before).

During the project (since 1998), 

• the Oasis or EIC (Oasis manufactured by EIC at St Louis) has been modificated : extension of diameter to 3.30 m and of the tower to 12 m. For some photos, click here.

• the SSM windpump, soon manufactured at Senegal and larger (diameter of 6 meters), was installed in some villages (replacing a EIC in some cases).

Why several models ?

The mean windspeed is not very important at the north-west of Senegal (3 à 3.5 m/s), the wells are deep (more than 25 m), and the roughness is higher, so the energy is lower than previous because the wells are generally near houses or trees.

In this environment, the Oasis/EIC windpump has been insufficient in several cases (look at the reports on advancement of Alizes project). 

Several solutions to resolve this problem :

• to increase the height of the tower (to 12 meters)

• to increase the diameter of the rotor (to 3.30 meter, Oasis/EIC300 becomes EIC 330)

• to use larger windpump : 

  • SSM (ex-LVIA) windpump (diameter of 6 m, manufactured at Thiés)

  • Fiasa windpump ("argentine" windpump) with a diameter of 3.6 m to 4.2 m.

Windpumps : to know more

internet sites

• espace-eolien.fr

• our links

magazines

• Windpower Monthly

• Systèmes solaires

books

• Le point sur... les éoliennes de pompage, GRET, 1986

• Energie éolienne - Théorie, conception et calcul pratique des installations, D. Le Gourières, Eyrolles, 1980 (still in english, Eyrolles editor)

• Eoliennes et aérogénérateurs, guide de l'énergie éolienne, Guy Cunty, Edisud, 1982, actualisé et réédité