Hydraulic ram pumps and Sling Pumps

Hydraulic Ram Pump System Design and ApplicationFig. 1 Components of a Hydraulic Ram Pump StationWORKING PRINCIPLE OF HYDRAULIC RAM PUMPSAlthough hydraulic ram pumps come in a variety of shapes and sizes, they all have the same basiccomponents as shown in Fig. 2. The main parts of a ram pump are Hydram body, Waste value sniftervalve, delivery valve, air chamber and relief valve. Ram Pumps have a cyclic pumping action thatproduces their characteristic beat during operation. The cycle can be divided into three phases;acceleration, delivery and recoil.Acceleration - When the waste valve is open, water accelerates down the drive pipe and dischargesthrough the open valve. As the flow increases it reaches a speed where the drag force is sufficient tostart closing the valve. Once it has begun to move, the valve closes very quickly.Delivery - As the waste valve slams shut, it stops the flow of water through it. The water that has beenflowing in the drive pipe has considerable momentum which has to be dissipated. For a fraction of asecond, the water in the body of the pump is compressed causing a large~ surge in pressure. This typeof pressure rise is known as water hammer. As the pressure rises higher than that in the air chamber, itforces water through the delivery valve (a non-return valve). The delivery valve stays open until thehttp://home.att.net/~africantech/ESME/hydram2/HydRam2.htm (3 of 12) [1/13/2005 12:43:03 PM]