New Energy Technologies Magazine nr 3 2005.pdf - Index of

valve and opens the pressure one while the
pressure decrease influences the reverse
sequence. All meaning of the device's operation
is that it raises water volume qH at height H
using water volume's energy q.
However, the "hydraulic ram", as the water lifting
device, has a very important disadvantage.
In order to obtain the water increase, it is
necessary to discharge a certain amount of
water qk=q-qH. Water flowing out of the
impact valve must quickly vacate a place for a
new portion of water, which will flow out during
the next cycle. If water at the outlet of the drain
hole will gather somehow, an insuperable
resistance for water flow out will form and, as a
result, the water acceleration in the force pipe
will be broken and then stop.
As a result, the given device being in the
submerged state, i.e. submerged in water,
cannot operate. This prevents its use in the flat
country with open reservoirs and on rivers
without slopes or without dams.
Besides that, the "hydraulic ram" attracted
attention of scientific theorists and experts by
its originality and operation simplicity. During
the XIX century, many theoretical researches
of the "hydraulic ram" were carried out but, until
1900, they all rested on the fact that the theory
of a "hydraulic blow" in pipes had been unknown
and, therefore, gave no correct results. As early
as in 1804, Eitelvein from Germany carried out
more than 1,000 experiments and published a
number of empirical conclusions and formulas.
Most of them, as it was found out already at
that time, were not suitable for designing.
The fact of existence of the "hydraulic blow" effect
was known as early as in the XVIII century, but a
right theory was developed for the first time by a
Russian scientist, N.E. Zhukovsky. Professor
Zhukovsky checked and confirmed his theoretical
conclusions by special experiments in 1897-1898.
In 1898, his theory was first published in
"Bulletins of Polytechnic Society".
In 1901, an Italian engineer Alievi published
almost the same theory of the "hydraulic blow"
but in relation to pipelines of different powerplants.
However, the experiments carried out by
Zhukovsky and, later, by other researchers from
other countries completely proved the accuracy
of basic concepts of Zhukovsky’s theory. But this
theory, even after its publication, did not obtain
proper acknowledgement. Researchers and
enthusiasts of the "hydraulic ram", as usual,
from year to year, carried out experiments and
found different non-generalized formulas for
their purposes.
The "hydraulic ram" was developed under the
name of «ram-pump» in melioration and in
private life as a device for free water lifting in
America, Australia and other western countries.
Today there are several dozen small companies
specializing in the production and sale of the
«ram-pump» in these countries. Searching
Internet for words "hydraulic ram" or «rampump»
by different search engines, it is possible
to find not only these companies but also some
publications on this subject. Many companies
use only their own formulas installing their
«ram-pumps».
In Russia, right after the publication of the
"hydraulic blow" theory by Zhukovsky, the work
on the creation and development of the "hydraulic
ram" theory was successfully continued by his
disciples and following: B. Bubekin, B. Bahmetiev,
S. Chistopolsky. For example, Professor
Zhukovsky created the right scheme of the
"ram's" operation during water delivery relying
on the results of special experiments carried out
by B. Bubekin from 1903 to 1907 and described it
in a report on "The new hydraulic ram theory" in
Mathematical Society on the 18th of September
1907. Later on, Professor B. Bahmetiev gave the
right interpretation of the water acceleration
period in researches by Navler and Harza in his
work "Introduction to the research of the
unbalanced liquid flow" on the basis of the same
theory of Zhukovsky. However, it was Professor
S. Chistopolsky who finally combined theory and
practice in his work "A hydraulic ram" in 1930.
He created the first and, to present day, the only
known and reliable method of the theoretical
calculation. This method was, and is, completely
confirmed by the results of numerous tests.
Unfortunately, the "hydraulic ram", as the
device for free water lifting, was undeservedly
forgotten as petroleum production has been
50 New Energy Technologies #3(22) 2005