VIZIANAGARAM: Dr A Rama Rao, Additional Project Coordinator of Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Vizianagaram, has been granted a 20-year patent by the Intellectual Property of India for his “Polymer Pulley Driven Centrifugal Pump.” He conducted extensive research on the design, development, and performance evaluation of a polymer-cast centrifugal pump at Dr NTR College of Agricultural Engineering under Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University for the past ten years. Vizianagaram District Collector BR Ambedkar and SSA State officials congratulated Ramarao and his team on securing the patent and encouraged them to commence large-scale manufacturing of the pumps for agricultural, domestic, and industrial applications.
Rama Rao, a native of Konisa village in Gajapathinagaram mandal, previously served as an assistant professor at the College of Horticulture, Parvathipuram, under Dr YSR Horticulture University. He did his PhD on polymer-cast centrifugal pumps in 2017. The idea for the innovation stemmed from electrocution of farmers’ while operating centrifugal pumps. Determined to develop a lightweight, cost-effective, corrosion-resistant, and electric shock-proof pump, he embarked on his research in 2013.
As part of his study, Rama Rao and his team selected a 5.7 kg cast iron pump worth Rs 1,200 and analysed over 400 types of plastics with mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties comparable to cast iron. They identified seven engineering plastics capable of replacing iron in centrifugal pumps and ultimately selected three: cast nylon, Delrin, and UHMWF. With assistance from the Central Institute of Tool Design, Hyderabad, they designed and fabricated the polymer-based pump.
Further collaboration with the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology facilitated the mold development and fabrication. The team then simulated the pump’s performance using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and conducted 310 hours of field testing at Dr NTR College of Agricultural Engineering, Palakollu and Rajahmundry.
The results demonstrated that the polymer pump achieved discharge, pressure, and velocity levels equivalent to those of metal pumps while significantly reducing weight by 70% and cost by 60%. The pump also exhibited zero corrosion and consumed less electrical power.
In 2018, Rama Rao and his team filed a patent application for their polymer pump with the Intellectual Property Government of India. He received his patent on March 4.
Speaking to TNIE, he said, “I come from an agricultural family, so I understand the challenges of buying and operating motor pumps for both agricultural and domestic purposes. I was disturbed by media reports of farmers dying from electric shocks while using pumps. That motivated me to develop an electric shock-proof, low-cost, and corrosion-free motor pump. Additionally, the pump consumes less electrical power and has increased durability compared to cast iron pumps. I hope this invention helps farmers by lowering input costs and preventing fatalities due to electric shocks.”
With this patent, Rama Rao’s innovation holds the potential to revolutionise the use of centrifugal pumps in various sectors, making them safer, cheap and efficient.