Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Faculty of Engineering
Coursework Report
Session 2011/2012
In the name of Allah, first and foremost, we would like to thank Dr Mohd Faizul bin
Mohd Sabri for his guidance and support during the time we were working to complete this
project and prepare the report throughout this semester and also not to forget Miss Nurul our
beloved tutor which continuously give us support to complete the task. Besides that, we also
would like to thank our friends that help us throughout the process of this project. We are hoping
that all of you will put best consideration and evaluate this project with your entire heart.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
CHAPTER TITLE PAGE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 2
TABLE OF CONTENT 3
1 INTRODUCTION 4-5
1.1 Abstract
1.2 Objective
1.3 Problem Statement
2 LITERATURE REVIEW 6 - 12
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Brief history
2.3 Working principle of hydraulic ram pump
2.4 Theory on hydraulic ramp pump (Hydram)
2.4.1 Energy
2.4.2 Water Hammer Effect
2.5 Applications and limitations of hydraulic ram pumps
3 METHODOLOGY 13 - 15
3.1 Considerations in hydraulic ram pump system design
3.2 Maintenance and service life considerations
3.3 General considerations
3.4 Basic part of a hydram system
3.5 Pipe consideration
3.6 Snifter valve
4 CALCULATION 16 - 24
5 DESIGN 25 - 39
5.1 Suggestion for the future
6 CONCLUSION 40
7 REFERENCES 41
3
ABSTRACT
This project report is about designing a hydraulic ram pump to transfer water from a river into a
water tank with given dimensions and conditions. The hydraulic ram pump designed is believed
to be the most suitable and efficient for the given conditions based on the calculations performed.
For the first step of designing, all the related problems are listed and understand. Then, the
specifications, criteria and evaluation of the solutions are developed. This including choosing the
most suitable operational working principals for the hydraulic ram pump (hydram), outline of the
theoretical background behind the operation and its details calculations, which are being referred
to the concept and theory entitles to Fluid Mechanics. This is followed by the details drawing of
the hydraulic ram pump by using the SOLIDWORKS software. From the calculations
performed, the hydraulic ram pump designed with radius of 0.1m and length of 0.5m has high
and reasonable efficiency. Its flowrate to the delivery tank is determined to be 0.00069m3/s and
required about 20 days and 3 hours to fill completely the tank at a height of 20m from river
flow.
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OBJECTIVES
1. To design a Hydraulic Ram Pump which is able to fill a water tank at height of 20m from
river flow.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
In this project, we are required to design a hydraulic ram pump to fill a water tank at a height of
20m from river flow. The conditions are as follows:
River Water (source): Depth = 0.5m Wide = 1.5m Flowrate = 120 l /sec
V =1200m3
Water Tank
20.0m
1.5m
River 0.5m
Hydram
Q=120 l /sec
5
2. BACKGROUND RESEARCH
2.1 Introduction
A hydraulic ram pump (also called hydram) is a pump that uses energy from a falling
quantity of water to pump some of it to an elevation much higher than the original level at the
source. No other energy is required and as long as there is a continuous flow of falling water, the
pump will work continuously and automatically. Provision of adequate domestic water supply
for scattered rural populations is a major problem in many developing countries. Fuel and
maintenance costs to operate conventional pumping systems are becoming prohibitive. The
hydraulic ram pump (hydram) is an alternative pumping device that is relatively simple
technology that uses renewable energy, and is durable. The hydram has only two moving parts;
these are impulse valve and delivery valve which can be easily maintained.
Ram Pumps have been used for over two centuries in many parts of the world. Their
simplicity and reliability made them commercially successful, particularly in Europe, in the days
before electrical power and the internal combustion engine become widely available. As
technology advanced and become increasingly reliant on sources of power derived from fossil
fuels, the ram pump was neglected. It was felt to have no relevance in an age of national
electricity grids and large - scale water supplies. Big had become beautiful and small-scale ram
pump technology was unfashionable.
In recent years an increased interest in renewable energy devices and an awareness of the
technological needs of a particular market in developing countries have prompted a reappraisal
of ram pumps. In hilly areas with springs and streams, the potential for a simple and reliable
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pumping device is large. Although there are some examples of successful ram pump installation
in developing countries, their use to date has merely scratched at the surface of their potential.
The main reason for this being, lack of wide spread local knowledge in the design and
manufacture of ram pumps. Hence, the wide spread use of ram pumps will only occur if there is
a local manufacturer to deliver quickly; give assistance in system design, installation, and
provide an after-sales service.
2.2 Brief History
The first self-acting ram pump was invented by the Frenchman Joseph Michel
Montgolfier (best known as a co-inventor of the hot air balloon) 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.
Easton's firm, inherited by his son James (17961871), 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 specialized 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.
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.
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The first US patent was issued to J. Cerneau and S.S. Hallet in 1809. US 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.
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. A good example is AID Foundation International in the Philippines, who won an Ashden
Award for their work developing ram pumps that could be easily maintained for use in remote
villages. The hydraulic ram principle has been used in some proposals for exploiting wave
power, one of which was discussed as long ago as 1931 by Hanns Gnther in his book in hundert
Jahren.
Although hydraulic ram pumps come in a variety of shapes and sizes, they all have the same
basic components as shown in Fig. 2. The main parts of a ram pump are hydram body, waste
valve, delivery valve, snifter valve, air chamber and relief valve. Ram Pumps have a cyclic
pumping action that produces their characteristic beat during operation. The cycle can be divided
into three phases; acceleration, delivery and recoil.
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No Pressure
High Velocity
Delivery - As the waste valve slams shut as shown in figure 3, it stops the flow of water through
it. The water that has been flowing in the drive pipe has considerable momentum which has to be
dissipated. For a fraction of a second, the water in the body of the pump is compressed causing a
large surge in pressure. This type of pressure rise is known as water hammer. As the pressure
rises higher than that in the air chamber, it forces water through the delivery valve (a non-return
valve).The delivery valve stays open until the water in the drive pipe has almost completely
slowed and the pressure in the pump body drops below the delivery pressure. The delivery valve
then closes, stopping any back flow from the air vessel into the pump and drive pipe.
Recoil - The remaining flow in the drive pipe recoils against the closed delivery valve - rather
like a ball bouncing back. This causes the pressure in the body of the pump to drop low enough
for the waste valve to reopen. The recoil also sucks a small amount of air in through the snifter
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valve. The air sits under the delivery valve until the next cycle when it is pumped with the
delivery water into the air vessel. This ensures that the air vessel stays full of air. When the recoil
energy is finished, water begins to accelerate down the drive pipe and out through the open waste
valve, starting the cycle again. Throughout the cycle the pressure in the air vessel steadily forces
water up the delivery pipe. The air vessel smoothes the pulsing in flow through the delivery
valve into an even outflow up the delivery pipe. The pumping cycle happens very quickly,
typically 40 to 120 times per minute. During each pumping cycle only a very small amount of
water is pumped. However, with cycle after cycle continuing over 24 hours, a significant amount
of water can be lifted. While the ram pump is operating, the water flowing out the waste valve
splashes onto the floor or the pump house and is considered' waste' water. The term' waste' water
needs to be understood. Although waste water is not delivered by the ram pump, it is the energy
of this water that pumps the water which is delivered.
No Velocity
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2.4.1 Energy
Cars, airplanes, light bulb, water pumps, computers, the human body have all something in
common: they need energy to work. This energy can come from many sources such as electricity,
fuel, manpower, food. Different technologies are used to transform one source of energy to
another. For example, car engines transform the chemical energy of the fuel into mechanical
energy allowing wheels to rotate. Another example related to water supply projects is electric
pumps: they use electricity to transform electrical energy into potential energy of the lifted water.
The potential energy is the energy of every object due to its altitude. The object needs another
source of energy to be lifted and will lose its potential energy if it falls. Hydrams are designed to
lift water (i.e. give potential energy to the water) from a low cost source of energy. Avoiding
using fuel and electricity, the water hammer effect has shown to be efficient and is the principle
of hydrams.
2.4.2 Water Hammer Effect
The water hammer effect is a phenomenon that increases the pressure of water in a pipe over a
short period of time.
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Figure 4: Water hammer effect.
If the velocity of the water in a pipe is high enough, a fast closure of the pipe will cause a water
hammer effect as shown in Figure 4. The water flowing will be compressed to the valve which
has been closed suddenly. As a comparison, if a hundred people run very fast in a corridor and
suddenly, they face a closed door, the space between them will be reduced, everybody will touch
each other. In the same way, with velocity, water has kinetic energy. By closing quickly the pipe,
this kinetic energy will be transformed into pressure. This effect is characterized by a loud noise
that is similar to a hammer banging a metal component.
12
Use of a renewable energy source ensuring low running cost
Pumping only a small proportion of the available flow has little environmental impact.
Simplicity and reliability give a low maintenance requirement
Automatic, continuous operation requires no supervision or human input.
Specific situations in which other technologies may prove more appropriate are:
In terrain where streams are falling very rapidly, it may be possible to extract water at a point
above the village or irrigation site and feed it undergravity. If the water requirement is large
and there is a large source of falling water (head and flow rate) nearby, turbine-pump sets can
provide the best solution. Many ram pumps could be used in parallel to give the required
output but at powers over 2KW, turbine-pump systems are normally cheaper.
In small-scale domestic water supply, the choice can often be between using a ram pump on a
stream or using cleaner groundwater. Surface water will often need to be filtered or treated
for human consumption, increasing the cost of a system and requiring regular filter
maintenance. Under these conditions, to select a hydram pump, economical considerations
compared to other technologies have to be looked at.
The following factors need to be considered in hydraulic Ram pump system design.
Area suitability (head and flow rate)
Flow rate and head requirement
13
Intake design
Drive system
Pump house location
Delivery pipes routing
Distribution system
From the figure it shows a typical hydraulic ram installation that comprises
Supply
14
Delivery valve
Air chamber
Delivery pipe
15
high resistance to direct heat
Resistant to very high pressures
Easy to install, maintain, operate and connect
Perfect for the extension work in pumping stations, riverbanks, steep sloping crossings
and reservoirs
Feature of withstanding traffic vibrations and shocks
Specifically, the types of steel pipe we suggest to use is Galvanized steel since this type of steel
is coated with zinc layer to protect steel pipes from corroding. This form of steel provides
resistance to corrosion and rust thereby making it highly preferred to make pipes. This also helps
in increasing the overall life term of the pipe fittings as well.
It is a device to allow the air to enter the air vessel located above delivery valve but below
delivery pipe. Is it very important for air to enter because air in the air vessel mixes with water
while hydram is running. As a result, the volume of air in the air vessel decreases and this will
bring about the reduction in the pumps efficiency, thus it is important to have snifter valve. In
short, snifter valve enable the maintenance of a necessary air level inside the air vessel.
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4. CALCULATION
Specification of the hydram pump
Description Details
Available Flow rate (Q) 120 l/s
Supply Head (h) 4m
Hd 1. From the given condition, we know
Expected Lift from river (
20m
Qr
) that the flowrate, and the area,
Height of Tank from pump (H) 24m
d Ar of the river is given as below,
Diameter of supply pipe ( s ) 0.1 m
dd Qr 120 l/s
Diameter of delivery pipe ( Flowrate of river, =
0.06m
) 0.12 m3 /s
=
Ls
Length of supply pipe ( ) 20m
Ar
Ld Area of river, =
Length of delivery pipe ( ) 30m
0.5 m 1.5 m
2
= 0.75 m
vr
2. Using the information earlier we can find the velocity, of the river using continuity
equation.
Q r= A r v r
v =0.16 m/s
Where,
Qr 3
= flowrate of the river ( m /s
Ar 2
= cross sectional area of the river ( m
17
vr
= velocity of the river (m/s)
vs vr
3. We also know that the velocity, entering the supply is same with the velocity, of
river. From that, we can use continuity equation to find the flowrate in the supply pipe.
d s =0.1 m
Q s= A s v s
Qs= ( 0.1 )2 ( 0.16 )
4
Qs=1.257 103 m3 / s
3 3
Supply flow rate, Qs=1.257 10 m / s just 1% from river flowrate
Where,
vs v
and r = velocity in supply pipe and in river respectively ( m/s )
ds
= diameter of supply pipe ( m )
Qs=
flowrate in the supply pipe
4. Next we are going to find the number of beats in the process. Number of beats is the frequency
of closing and opening of valve. We assume that both waste and delivery valve has the same
frequency i.e. they both open and close at the same amount of time.
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Figure 6: The velocity-time relationship in the driveline of a hydram.
v max
But first we need calculate the max velocity of water in hydram,
v max =
2 g hs
M
Where
hs
= height of supply tank (river) from hydram, 4m
v max =
2 ( 9.81 ) ( 4 )
0.104
v max
t 1 =L1 x
( H d h ) g
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based on the empirical relation between head of supply and the length of supply, it is suggested
L1
that = 2.5 H
L1
= 2.5m x 4 = 10m
27.47
t 1 =10 x
( 204 ) 9.81
t1
= 1.75 s
v max
t 2 =L2 x
( H d h ) g
27.47
t 2 =0.5 x
( 204 ) 9.81
t2
= 0.18 s
Where,
L1
= length of supply based on empirical head and the length of supply
L2
= length of hydram
t1
= time take for impulse valve to close or delivery valve to open
t2
= time taken for delivery valve to close
Hd
= height of tank from river
h = supply head
v max
= maximum velocity
20
t1 t2
One beat is equal to +
n = 30 beats
where
Qw
= flowrate of waste water
n= Number of beat
r=0.026 m
L=0.5 m
n=30
2 30
Qw = ( 0.026 ) ( 0.5 )
60
Qw =0.0005 m3 /s
21
6. Next we calculate the head loss coefficient.
L v2
M =f
d 2g
where
M = head loss coefficient
2
g= acceleration due to gravity, 9.81 m/s
We have decided to use commercial steel pipe for both supply and delivery pipe. From that we
5
e 4.5 x 10
= =4.5 x 104
d 0.1
22
Then we calculate the Reynoldss Number,
vd
=
Where,
Re = Reynoldss number (dimensionless number)
= density of the fluid (kg/m)
Here we have,
= 1000 kg/m
v = 0.16 m/s
d= 0.1m
Therefore,
Re = 20050
23
So using the value obtained, we then find the friction factor for the pipe by referring the value of
Re and the ratio of sand roughness to diameter of pipe in moodys diagram and we find that f in
this case to be 0.4.
f =0.4
Ls=20 m
d s =0.1 m
vs = 0.16 m/s
2
g = 9.81 m/s
[ ]
2
20 ( 0.16 )
M =( 0.4 )
0.1 2 ( 9.81 )
M =0.104
Ls A s 1
( Vol )w =
M ( )
log
1
We have,
Hd
= height of delivery tank from water source (river), 20m
Ld =
length of delivery pipe from hydram, 30m
d d =
diameter of delivery pipe, 0.06 m
Ls
= length of supply pipe, 20m
24
ds
= diameter of supply pipe, 0.1m
v max
= 27.47 m/s
M v max2
=
2 gH d
( 0.104 )( 27.47 )2
=
2 ( 9.81 )( 20 )
=0.2
( 20 ) ( 4 ( 0.1) ) log
2
1
( Vol )w =
0.104 ( 10.2 )
( Vol )w =0.146 m3
Ld A d
( Vol )d= ln ( 1+ )
M
M v max2
=
2 g Hd
( 0.104 ) ( 27.47 )2
=
2 ( 9.81 ) ( 20 )
=0.2
25
( Vol )d=
( 30 ) ( 4 ( 0.06 ) ) ln ( 1+0.2)
2
0.104
( Vol )d=0.202m3
Where,
Qd 3
= delivery flowrate ( m /s
Qw 3 3
= waste flowrate ( m /s obtained earlier, 0.0005 m /s
( 0.0005 )( 0.202 )
Qd =
0.146
Qd =0.00069 m3 / s
10. The efficiency of hydram can be defined as below using DRankine formula,
Qhd
E ( Rankine ) =
( Q+Q w ) ( H )
26
Q=Qd =0.00069 m3 /s
Qw =0.0005 m3 /s
Hd
=20m
hd hs
H=( + ) = (20 +4) = 24m
0.00069(20)
E=
( 0.00069+0.0005 )( 24 )
E = 0.483
Therefore the efficiency of hydram is 48.3 %.
3
Size of Tank = 1200 m
1200 m 3
Pumping rate = 0.00069m 3 / s
= 1739130.435 s
27
5. DESIGN
When we design a water system using ram pumps, we like to know before we build it,
how much water it will deliver to how much head and with what efficiency manually
manipulating these parameters using design methodology for different input parameters. After
that, we then design the hydram using SOLIDWORKS software which a CAD (computer aided
design) software as below.
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Figure 7: Isometric view of the hydraulic ram pump
29
Figure 8: Side view of the hydraulic ram pump
30
Figure 9: Cross-sectional view of the hydraulic ram pump
31
Figure 10 (a): Sectional view of delivery valve
32
Figure 10 (b): Sectional view of delivery valve
33
Figure 11: Outer view of delivery valve
34
Figure 12: Cross-sectional view of waste valve
35
Figure 13 (a): Sectional view of waste valve
36
Figure 13 (b): Sectional view of waste valve
37
Figure 13(c): Outer view of waste valve
38
39
Parts Descriptions Quantity
Total : 18 Pieces
Total : 23 Pieces
Total : 38 Pieces
40
Rubber 2 Pieces
Total : 2 Pieces
Rubber 2 Pieces
Total : 2 Pieces
41
Rubber 2 Pieces
Total : 2 Pieces
Rubber 2 Pieces
Total : 2 Pieces
Steel 2 Pieces
42
Total : 2 Pieces
One of the suggestion that can be apply is to use a bigger supply pipe to obtain a large
amount of water so that more water can be delivered to tank. In this report we use supply pipe
3 3
with diameter of 0.1m, and we get only about 1.257 10 m /s flowrate and it is just about
1% of compared to the rivers flowrate. Bigger supply pipe will increase the flowrate, but we
also need to increase size of hydram to cope with bigger force that the water carries. It is not
necessary to increase the delivery pipe because referring to continuity equation, the flowrate
across a pipe is same. Since we already increase the flowrate of water by increasing the diameter
of supply pipe, thus with the same diameter of delivery pipe we can get achieve a higher velocity
of water flowing to the tank. But if we increase the diameter of supply pipe tremendously we
may also need to increase the delivery pipe diameter so that more water can be delivered with
high velocity.
We can also try to build a tank near the river to store the water collected from river. This
is for us manipulate the velocity of water flowing since we cannot do anything to the river. We
know from continuity equation that the property that is shared between the river, and water
flowing to supply pipe is the velocity. So if we find any solution to increase the velocity, we
could increase the flowrate in the pipe thus increasing the pumping rate of the hydram.
For the most optimum performance of the hydram is to apply both of the suggestion but
we need first to consider the necessity of such high pumping rate according to usage of the water
43
delivered. If we were able to deliver a lot of water to the tank, but later we will only just use
some of it, then it will be a waste and will cost us high. Thus we first need to identify the
necessary amount of water needed. From there we try to adjust so that we can fulfill the demand
with the minimum cost.
6. CONCLUSION
From the objective stated, we have come out the solutions from the study of our hydraulic ramp
pump (hydram), the modifications and assumptions made were counted and the calculations give
the exact answers for this project.
From the results obtained, we have found out that:-
a) The best design for our hydram is as shown above in the report.
b) In order to obtain the best efficiency for this hydram, the optimum supply head and
delivery and supply pipe length is chosen. The efficiency of the hydram is about 48.3%.
c) By theory we found that the pumping rate has been found out that is to be
3
0.00069 m /s .
d) And finally, the time taken for the whole tank to be filled is estimated to be 20 days, 3
hours, and 6 minutes.
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7. REFERENCES
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