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We have completed and commissioned a new 37m deep 6” borehole test facility at our U.K. technical centre in mid-Devon. The new facility will enable intensive experimental testing and development of production Impact Pumps at a greater range of heads and flows than existing above-ground test-towers on the same site, which are limited to 10m. It will also host high-flow (stress) endurance tests when not in use for development, and enable experimental work to begin on new concepts, including our novel approach to ultra-low-cost groundwater level monitoring and hydro-power generation from aquifer recharge.

We have taken delivery of the first batches of Series 0 Impact Pump production parts in preparation for assembly, quality assurance, packing and shipping. Meanwhile, we are setting up our UK based assembly line for the first 200 units to design, test and optimise assembly procedures, in line with our target shipping date.

An accelerated endurance test of key components is underway at the Thermofluidics lab. The aim is to achieve 10,000hrs fault-free running to underpin the robustness of the uDAHR and prove the low-maintenance, long lifespan characteristics that outperform traditional electrical submersible pumps. The test is currently approaching 5,000hrs without failure.

Farmers have reported that cultivated area and yield have both improved since the start of the trials. Examples of crops being grown include tomatoes, potatoes, millet, paw paw, napier grass, vegetables, bananas, passion fruits and lemons.

Remote monitoring and regular communication with the farmer field sites have shown that the pumps are operating well and with minimum intervention at both sites in Bangladesh and Kenya. The next step for the team will be to advance the technology readiness levels and address a wider range of flows and heads.

In February the Thermofluidics team travelled to Dhaka in Bangladesh to set up the uDAHR on two test sites at working farms with their partner iDE. The uDAHRs were installed in hand-drilled boreholes with depths to water of 7m and 22m and powered by the FuturePump SF2 with PV panels.

In January the Thermofluidics team travelled to Kisumu in Kenya to set up two uDAHR test sites on working farms with their partner FuturePump. The uDAHRs were installed in hand dug wells with depths to water of 13m and 18m and powered by the FuturePump SF2 with PV panels.

A batch of the latest version of the uDAHR has been made ready for Phase 2 Field Trials with farmers in Bangladesh and Kenya. The uDAHR enables suitably matched surface pumps to lift from depth and therefore avoids the need to install more expensive and less robust submersible pumps.