A hydraulic ram is a simple water pump powered by hydropower that takes water at one pressure and flow rate and outputs it at a higher pressure and lower flow rate. It has two moving parts - a waste valve and delivery check valve. Water flows through an inlet drive pipe until it closes the waste valve, creating pressure to open the delivery check valve and pump some water to the outlet delivery pipe at a higher elevation than the source. The pressure vessel cushions pressure fluctuations and improves efficiency. Properly designed, a hydraulic ram can pump water with 60-80% efficiency using only the force of flowing water.
1. A PROJECTONHYDRAULIC RAM Project Guide:- Submitted by:- Mr. Jagdish saini Vijay kumar (Lect. Mech. deptt.) Rishi pareek Rakesh ranjan Ramesh chand Ravi yogi
2. WHAT IS HYDRAULIC RAM…….?A hydraulic ram is a cyclic water pump powered by hydropower. It functions as a hydraulic transformer that takes in water at one " hydraulic head " (pressure) and flow-rate, and outputs water at a higher hydraulic-head and lower flow-rate.
3. 1. Inlet — drive pipe2. Free flow at waste valve3. Outlet — delivery pipe4. Waste valve5. Delivery check valve6. Pressure vessel Basic components of a hydraulic ram:
4. DESCRIPTION OF PARTS 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.
5. SEQUENCE OF OPERATION Initially, the waste valve [4] is open, and 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 that raises the pressure in the pump, opens the delivery valve [5], and forces some water to flow into the delivery pipe [3].
6. Because this water is being forced uphill through the delivery pipe farther than it is falling downhill from the source, the flow slows; when the flow reverses, the delivery check valve closes. If all water flow has stopped, the loaded waste valve reopens against the now static head, which allows the process to begin again.A pressure vessel [6] containing air cushions the hydraulic pressure shock when the waste valve closes, and it also improves the pumping 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 that could shorten its life considerably.
7. One problem is that the pressurized air will gradually dissolve into the water until none remains. One solution to this problem is to have the air separated from the water by an elastic diaphragm (similar to an expansion tank); however, this solution can be problematic in developing countries where replacements are difficult to procure.
8. DESIGN FEATURES The optimum length of the drive pipe is five-to-twelve times the vertical distance between the source and the pump, or 500-to-1000 times the diameter of the delivery pipe, whichever is less. 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; otherwise, it would greatly diminish the efficiency.