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Hydraulic Ram Pumping SystemsHydraulic Rams/Hydrams/Hammer Pumps | Benefits and Performance | Constraints | Designing a Simple Pumping System | Costs | Conclusion | Links to Suppliers and Further Information | ReferencesHydraulic Rams/Hydrams/Hammer PumpsThe downward movement of water from a height can be used to pump water. The basic principle is that the movement of a large amount of water over a short distance creates enough pressure to pump a small amount of water a large distance. For a simple animation of how a hydram works click here (15KB) A hydraulic ram has only two moving parts, a spring or weight loaded "waste" valve sometimes known as the "clack" valve and a "delivery" check valve, making it cheap to build, easy to maintain, and very reliable. In addition, there is a drive pipe supplying water from an elevated source, and a delivery pipe, taking a portion of the water that comes through the drive pipe to an elevation higher than the source (Wikipedia, 2007). For further information on Hydrams, see the Hydromechanical Waterwheels and Hydram File in RISE Information Portal Technologies.
Figure 1 A typical Hydram installation. (courtesy of the Gerle Creek Summer Home Tract Association).
An Australian inventor, Ralph Glockemann, has developed a hydram pump that only requires a
head of 0.5m, and yet is capable of pumping water to a height of over 200m. In
the Glockemann Pump, the force of the inlet water acting on a diaphragm is used to
pump smaller amounts of water long distances. The pump is able to use a flow
rate of 4.5 litres per second and head of just 1.0m, to pump over 1500 litres
per day to a height of 100m. This form of water pumping requires no fuel and is
almost silent in operation making it much more environmentally friendly than
petrol or diesel powered pumps. There are many hydram
manufacturers in Australia and globally, that offer various forms of hydram
technology designed for specific applications, but which all follow the same
basic principles.
Benefits and PerformanceThe advantages of using water to pump water is simple. Having a pumping system that needs no fuel or electricity to pump water with only two moving parts makes the pump economical to purchase, install and maintain. Once installed, they can give many trouble-free years of water pumping, and for these reasons they are attractive where a large gravity flow exists. ConstraintsSome common operational problems are intrusion of air into the drive pipe, blockage of the intake or valves with debris, knocking due to too little air in the pressure vessel, and freezing in winter. Regular checking is generally required depending on the design of hydraulic ram (Wikipedia, 2007). Also they need a flow of water that is elevated slightly, the more elevation, the more water can be pumped to a useful height. The vast majority is of this water flow is "wasted", meaning it continues on the flow path that it would have originally followed, and diverts a percentage of this flow to the higher level to be used again. Hydraulic Ram applications generally are relatively small, being generally less than the equivalent of 1 kW. Designing a Simple Pumping SystemThrough the Information Portal, RISE provides networking services to assist people researching various renewable energy applications. There are also many excellent decision-making and capacity building tools and software freely available for download provided by other quality institutions. For more information see the "Links to Suppliers and Further Information" section near the end of this page. CostsThe costs of Hydrams are competitive with other pumping systems, such as solar and windmill technologies. They come in many sizes and designs, and therefore the costs of actual products vary significantly from less than a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. The capital outlay is the most prohibitive cost involved in such a system, but the operational and maintenance costs are very small. ConclusionAlthough hydraulic ram technology is not widely used in most countries it does provide an extremely reliable vital service to many areas, especially in developing countries. Hydram systems provide another sustainable solution to a lack of water, and assuming the appropriate conditions exists for its effective utilisation, can last for many decades with a robust pump and good system design.
Links to Suppliers and Further InformationRISE Resources - Information regarding available renewable energy resources.RISE Technologies - An extensive collection of information regarding renewable energy technologies.RISE Applications & System Design - Renewable energy application information and system designs.RISE System Displays - Case studies and information on installed renewable energy systems & performance data.
Wikipedia – Hydraulic Ram How Stuff Works – How does a Hydraulic Ram pump work? Clemson University - Homemade Hydraulic Ram Pump ReferencesWikipedia, 2007. "Hydraulic Ram" (Online) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_ram (Accessed 28 February 2007). |
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