Name : Mr. Ponnuswamy
District & State : -1, Tamil Nadu
Award : Consolation
Award Function : 1st National Grassroots Innovation Awards
Award Year : 2001
Innovation Description
Mr. Ponnusamy, 56, is an illiterate farmer residing in Srivilliputhur. He runs a small motor rewinding workshop.
Relay Switch For Overcoming Fluctuations In Electricity Load:
He invented a relay coil (switch) that automatically stops that motor pump set when there is no water in well/tank. This also operates in such a manner that it stops automatically if there is high/low electricity load appears (load changes due to fluctuations in the voltage).
He owns 2 acres of garden land. The land is very adjacent to the forest area and subject to the attack of crops by wild animals. In order to overcome the menace of wild animals he has made electric fencing by using AC electricity from the pump set and releasing the voltage 200v by using a mini transformer. For designing this whole transformer he spent only Rs. 1000/-. In the conventional method it requires Rs. 15,000 to erect electricity fencing by using battery system. Normally the voltage of the electricity is just sufficient to give a shock to the human or animals without causing fatal injury. Many times farmers approached him for the failure of this pump set motors. He found that when the load of the electricity would not fit to the motor coil pump set would not work. Therefore while rewinding the motor with the coil the load and capacity has to be critically observed. Based on this principle he has rectified the defect, which many mechanics couldn’t understand.
Thus he rectified the defect of dairy chilling center. He found that the rewinding of the coil is not proper and he helped in the modification of coil rewindling within 2 days and set right the machine.
Sometimes the electricity supply will not be in the uniform load and always it fluctuates. When the voltage of the electricity comedown from 440-350v the motor will stop suddenly. He has designed the coil system in such a manner so as to increase the voltage of the electricity from 350-440 V which enables the continuity of running of motor otherwise it stops.
If a HP motor is running on 440 V electricity with 7 1/2 amp fluctuates reduced load of 350V with 6 amp then the motor exposed to such fluctuation which increase the heat of the motor lending to burning of the coil. By using his relay switches the electricity supply to the motor will automatically cut down and that prevents burning of the coil.
Whenever water in the well is fully exhausted the electricity motor will run without stopping and such type of practice will affect to life span of the pump set leading to frequent repairing work. He has been using the relay switch for stopping the supply of electricity and there by the motor will stop automatically when there is no water in well. Therefore the relay switch will help the farmers in involving other operations without bothering of watching closely the water level in the well.
In order to help the small vulcanizing he has designed an electric heater using 6-12V of power. In order to standardize this equipment he is expecting some support, which he couldn’t tap from existing government institutions.
The relay switch, mini transformer and all these models he created are based on his understanding of Ohm’s law and magnetic system of supply of electricity.