Multi-objective optimization and scenario-based robustness analysis of the MoneyMaker Hip Pump

Q1 Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Development Engineering Pub Date : 2018-01-01 DOI:10.1016/j.deveng.2018.01.001

Christopher McComb , Nathan G. Johnson , Pablo S. Santaeufemia , Brandon T. Gorman , Brent Kolste , Alexander Mobley , Kenji Shimada

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引用次数: 5

Abstract

Water-lifting technologies for irrigation have significant potential to increase agricultural yields and stimulate economic growth in rural areas of the developing world. Human-powered water pumps have been used with great success in this rapidly developing market. KickStart's MoneyMaker Hip Pump is a human-powered water pump with additional design features that make it lightweight and portable for use in remote fields in several countries throughout Africa. This work first applied numerical optimization techniques to the design of the MoneyMaker Hip Pump and offers further improvements to its design. Deterministic multi-objective optimization methods were employed to maximize the flow rate of the pump, maximize the pumping height of water, and minimize cost. Following optimization, the robustness of the optimized pump design was analyzed under several modified scenarios, including fouling of the hoses and a decrease in operator power due to fatigue or aging. The set of cost-optimized pump designs was then compared to a second set of optimal designs that was found using material volume as a simplified proxy for the cost objective function. Findings indicate that several technical improvements can be made to the current MoneyMaker Hip Pump design to reduce cost by up to 37% without affecting water flow rate, or increase water flow rate by up to 88% without increasing cost. The numerical model was validated through physical experimentation of the MoneyMaker Hip Pump, and design alterations to reduce cost were experimentally shown to maintain pump performance.

查看原文本刊更多论文

MoneyMaker髋关节泵多目标优化及基于场景的鲁棒性分析

灌溉提水技术在提高农业产量和刺激发展中国家农村地区的经济增长方面具有巨大潜力。在这个快速发展的市场中，人力水泵的使用取得了巨大的成功。KickStart的MoneyMaker Hip Pump是一款人力水泵，具有额外的设计特点，使其重量轻，便于携带，适用于非洲几个国家的偏远地区。本工作首次将数值优化技术应用于MoneyMaker泵的设计，并对其设计进行了进一步的改进。采用确定性多目标优化方法，实现泵流量最大化、抽水高度最大化和成本最小化。优化后，对优化后的泵设计在几种修改情况下的稳健性进行了分析，包括软管结垢和由于疲劳或老化导致的操作人员功率下降。然后将成本优化的泵设计集与使用材料体积作为成本目标函数的简化代理的第二组优化设计集进行比较。研究结果表明，可以对目前的MoneyMaker Hip - Pump设计进行一些技术改进，在不影响流量的情况下将成本降低37%，或在不增加成本的情况下将流量提高88%。通过MoneyMaker髋关节泵的物理实验验证了数值模型，并通过实验证明了降低成本的设计变更可以保持泵的性能。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Development Engineering Economics, Econometrics and Finance-Economics, Econometrics and Finance (all)

CiteScore

4.90

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

31 weeks

期刊介绍： Development Engineering: The Journal of Engineering in Economic Development (Dev Eng) is an open access, interdisciplinary journal applying engineering and economic research to the problems of poverty. Published studies must present novel research motivated by a specific global development problem. The journal serves as a bridge between engineers, economists, and other scientists involved in research on human, social, and economic development. Specific topics include: • Engineering research in response to unique constraints imposed by poverty. • Assessment of pro-poor technology solutions, including field performance, consumer adoption, and end-user impacts. • Novel technologies or tools for measuring behavioral, economic, and social outcomes in low-resource settings. • Hypothesis-generating research that explores technology markets and the role of innovation in economic development. • Lessons from the field, especially null results from field trials and technical failure analyses. • Rigorous analysis of existing development "solutions" through an engineering or economic lens. Although the journal focuses on quantitative, scientific approaches, it is intended to be suitable for a wider audience of development practitioners and policy makers, with evidence that can be used to improve decision-making. It also will be useful for engineering and applied economics faculty who conduct research or teach in "technology for development."