Introduction:

Babbitt Ranches is the producer of AQHA quarter horses and is home to the Coconino Plateau Natural Reserve Lands. Babbitt Ranches, located between Flagstaff Arizona and the Grand Canyon, was established in 1886 and has 730000 acres of land, with an additional 300000 acres deeded. In addition to raising livestock, Babbitt Ranches hosts a mining operation run by Cemex.  Cemex, a global building materials company that distributes and sells cement, currently mines aggregate on Babbitt Ranches’ property.

Needs Identification:

On October 11, 2012 the team met with the client Billy Cardasco, President of Babbitt Ranches. Mr. Cardasco identified the combined need of Cemex and Babbitt Ranches for a new means of drawing water from wells with depths beyond 800 feet. The first priority for both Babbitt Ranches and Cemex is to lower the operating costs of their water pumping systems. In addition, they have also expressed interest in mitigating their carbon emissions. Considering all wells on Babbitt Ranches’ property, the well that is utilized by Cemex is the most demanding design challenge. The well is required to pump 75 gallons/minute from a depth of 1700 feet. Therefore, Mr. Cardasco would like a solution to be found for the Cemex dedicated well, which then can be applied to other wells that are found throughout the ranch property. 

Goal:

The team will identify the obstacles associated with drawing water from the prescribed depth.  This would improve the team’s understanding of the problem as well as put the team in a better position to think of innovative ideas to solve the problem.  The long term goal is to design an alternative energy source for the pump used by Cemex. This new design would improve on the existing pump system and its power supply, as well as draw the energy from an alternative source.  If the design is proven to improve the current pump system, the solution would able to be incorporated into parametric designs for all of Babbitt Ranches’ pumps.