A hydraulic ram that drives a fountain at the Centre for Alternative Technology

A hydraulic ram is a water-powered cyclic pump. It harnesses the forces of water hammer to pump a portion of the water being used to power the pump to a point higher than where the water originally started. It is sometimes used in remote areas, where the right conditions exist, since it requires no outside source of power other than the kinetic energy of falling water. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1920x2560, 1078 KB)A Blakes Hydram Hydraulic ram at the Centre for Alternative Technology. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1920x2560, 1078 KB)A Blakes Hydram Hydraulic ram at the Centre for Alternative Technology. ... The Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) is an eco-centre in Wales dedicated to demonstrating and teaching sustainable development. ... A Cyclic pump is an apparatus which moves a fluid in a periodic uni-directional direction from one containment system to another while overcoming static conditions that would, without intervention, not move. ... Water hammer (or, more generally, fluid hammer) is a pressure surge or wave caused by the kinetic energy of a fluid in motion when it is forced to stop or change direction suddenly. ... An electrically driven pump (electropump) for waterworks near the Hengsteysee, Germany. ... In physics, power (symbol: P) is the rate at which work is performed or energy is transferred. ... The kinetic energy of an object is the extra energy which it possesses due to its motion. ...

History

In 1772 John Whitehurst of Cheshire in the United Kingdom invented a manually controlled precursor of the hydraulic ram called the "pulsation engine". The first one he installed, in 1775 at Oulton, Cheshire, raised water to a height of 16 ft (4.9m). He installed another in an Irish property in 1783. He did not patent it, and details are obscure, but it is known to have had an air vessel. Year 1772 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... John Whitehurst (10th April 1713 - 18th February 1788) of Cheshire, England was a clockmaker and scientist, and made significant early contributions to geology. ... The Cheshire Plain - photo taken adjacent to Beeston Castle The Cheshire Plain - photo taken towards Merseyside The Cheshire Plain panorama - photo taken from Mid-Cheshire Ridge Cattle farming in the county Black-and-white timbered buildings on Nantwich High Street Cheshire (or, archaically, the County of Chester)[1] is a... Year 1775 (MDCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... The metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ... 1783 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... A patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state to a patentee (the inventor or assignee) for a fixed period of time in exchange for the regulated, public disclosure of certain details of a device, method, process or composition of matter (substance) (known as an invention) which...

The first self-acting ram pump was invented by the Frenchman Joseph Michel Montgolfier in 1796 for raising water in his paper mill at Voiron. His friend Matthew Boulton took out a British patent on his behalf in 1797. The sons of Montgolfier obtained an English patent for an improved version in 1816, and this was acquired, together with Whitehurst's design, in 1820 by Josiah Easton, a Somerset-born engineer who had just moved to London. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Year 1796 (MDCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... International Paper Companys Kraft paper mill in Georgetown, South Carolina. ... Voiron is a town and commune of France in the Isère département. ... Matthew Boulton. ... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1820 was a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Somerset is a county in the south-west of England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ...

Easton's firm, inherited by his son James (1796 - 1871), grew during the nineteenth century to become one of the more important engineering manufacturers in the United Kingdom, with a large works at Erith, Kent. They specialised in water supply and sewerage systems world-wide, as well as land drainage projects. Eastons had a good business supplying rams for water supply purposes to large country houses, and also to farms and village communities, and a number of their installations still survived as of 2004. Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Year 1796 (MDCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... ‹ The template below has been proposed for deletion. ... This article is about the county in England. ... The word sewerage means the provision of pipes etc to collect and dispose of sewage. ... Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of surface and sub-surface water from a given area. ... For the Blur single, see Country House (song). ...

The firm was eventually closed in 1909, but the ram business was continued by James R Easton. In 1929 it was acquired by Green & Carter, of Winchester, Hampshire, who were engaged in the manufacturing and installation of the well-known Vulcan and Vacher Rams. Green & Carter now function from Ashbrittle, near Wellington, Somerset. 1909 (MCMIX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Winchester is a historic city in southern England, with a population of around 40,000 within a 3 mile radius of its centre. ... Hampshire, sometimes historically Southamptonshire or Hamptonshire, (abbr. ... Ashbrittle is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated nine miles west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. ... For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ...

The first US patent was issued to J. Cerneau and S.S. Hallet in 1809. American interest in hydraulic rams picked up around 1840, as further patents were issued and domestic companies started offering rams for sale. Toward the end of the 19th Century, interest waned as electricity and electric pumps became widely available. Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Year 1809 (MDCCCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lightning strikes during a night-time thunderstorm. ... An electrically driven pump (electropump) for waterworks near the Hengsteysee, Germany. ...

By the end of the twentieth century interest in hydraulic rams has revived, due to the needs of sustainable technology in developing countries, and energy conservation in developed ones. (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ... By the mid 20th century humans had achieved a mastery of technology sufficient to leave the surface of the Earth for the first time and explore space. ... A developing country is a country with low average income compared to the world average. ... For the physical concepts, see conservation of energy and energy efficiency. ...

Construction and principle of operation

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. These water valves are regulated by handles. ... this siamese clappered inlet allows one or two inputs into a deluge gun A check valve is a mechanical device, a valve, that normally allows fluid or gas to flow through it in only one direction. ...

Sequence of operation

Hydraulic ram:
1. Inlet - drive pipe;
2. Free flow at waste valve;
3. Outlet - delivery pipe;
4. Waste valve;
5. Delivery check valve;
6. Pressure vessel

Initially, the waste valve 4 is open, the delivery valve 5 is closed, The water in the drive pipe 1 starts to flow under the force of gravity and picks up speed and kinetic energy until it forces the waste valve closed. The momentum of the water flow in the supply pipe against the now closed waste valve causes a water hammer, raises the pressure in the pump and opens the delivery valve, so some water flows into the delivery pipe. Since this water is being forced uphill through the delivery pipe farther than it is falling downhill from the source, the flow slows down and when it reverses the delivery check valve closes. If all water flow has stopped, the loaded waste valve reopens against the now static head, allowing the process to begin again. Hydraulic Ram; © Gutza 2004. ... Hydraulic Ram; © Gutza 2004. ... this siamese clappered inlet allows one or two inputs into a deluge gun A check valve is a mechanical device, a valve, that normally allows fluid or gas to flow through it in only one direction. ... Gravity is a force of attraction that acts between bodies that have mass. ... The kinetic energy of an object is the extra energy which it possesses due to its motion. ... In classical mechanics, momentum (pl. ... Water hammer (or, more generally, fluid hammer) is a pressure surge or wave caused by the kinetic energy of a fluid in motion when it is forced to stop or change direction suddenly. ... Hydrostatic pressure is the pressure exerted by a fluid due to its weight. ...

A pressure vessel containing air cushions the shock when the waste valve closes and improves the efficiency by allowing a more constant flow through the delivery pipe. Although, in theory, the pump could work without it, the efficiency would drop drastically and the pump would be subject to extraordinary stresses which would shorten its life considerably. This air is under pressure and is gradually dissolved in the water until it disappears. One solution is to have the air contained in an elastic bladder although this solution is problematic in third world countries where replacements are difficult to procure. Another solution is to have a mechanism which automatically inserts a small bubble of air with each pump cycle.

The optimum length of the drive pipe is 5 to 12 times the vertical distance between the source and the pump, or 500 to 1000 times the diameter of the delivery pipe, whichever is less. This length of drive pipe typically results in a period between pulses of 1 to 2 seconds. A typical efficiency is 60%, but up to 80% is possible. The drive pipe is ordinarily straight but can be curved or even wound in a spiral. The main requirement is that it be inelastic, strong and rigid as otherwise it would greatly diminish the efficiency.

Common operational problems

Some 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.

External links

• Details of how to make a homemade hydraulic ram
• Green and Carter
• What is a Ram Pump?
• HowStuffWorks-How does a hydraulic ram pump work?
• A video of a hydraulic ram at work
• Picture of a hydraulic ram