History

Developed by the firm Poncelet in the thirties, the Oasis wind pump was manufactured in thousands in France. Originally, it was aimed at the pumping of water for the livestock in the meadows. The firm Poncelet is ECOLAB  since 1995.

Technical data

Functioning principle : a multi-blade rotor of 3 m in diameter, on a 7,50 or 10 metres high tower, drives, with a rod-crank system, a pump with piston dived in the bottom of the well.

The wind pump’s flow varies according to the wind speed and to the pumping depth : up to 10 m³/day for a 20 m well. The water, pumped thanks to the wind, is stocked in a 10 m³ reservoir in concrete.

The quantities are adapted to villages of less than 500 inhabitants and which waterhole does not exceed 30 metres in depth.

With deeper wells, the pumped quantities are small and the risks of pumping breaking are increased taking into account mechanical efforts.

Local adaptabilities

The water of the northwest wells in Senegal is very corrosive. In order to avoid a fast deterioration of the pump, this one has been manufactured in stainless steel by EIC. But this solution is more expensive and involves long supplying term from France.

Technology transferts

In 1986, PONCELET Company (ECOLAB today) accept to help to develop a mauritanian manufacture of its Oasis windpump.

From 1991 to 1999, the Oasis wind pump’s model, rustic and dependable, has been manufactured in Mauritania by the firm DEYLOUL.

A 2^nd transfert takes place  between DEYLOUL (Nouakchott) and EIC (Saint-Louis).

EIC : team and workshop  
(click to enlarge)                             

From 1998 to 2002, EIC attends to :

• the manufacture of the wind pump.
• the civil work and the wind pump’s installation.
• is in charge of operations and maintenance of windpumps in north-west of Senegal.

The Alizés programme continues the EIC training with a follow-up in the field (control of the realized installations) and through 2 annual missions of a GRET technician.

Since 2004, Oasis windpump is not more used, Alizes use SSM-VEV windpumps, more appropriate to the wind potential and to the needs of the area of the program..