Background

The Tama-Koshi region (and most of hilly region of Nepal) has a lot of cultivable land but
most of them are lying barren. The region also has abundant water resource. However the
water source has not been utilized for good effect. This technology is very useful for
transportation of water from the running rivers to certain high parts in hilly region, and can be
used for purpose of drinking water management and irrigation. The major problem lies in the
transport of water to the hill top. The use of fuel pumps is not serving good. The less
educated local people do not know proper knowledge of its maintenance. Moreover these
pumps are prone to various technical problems and their efficiency gradually decreases.

Most of the inspiration, however, for the project came from the languishing condition of the
paper industry located at Singati. Although the Tamakoshi river was flowing right beneath
the industry premesis, there was a huge scarcity of water .The only reason behind this is the
incapability of the management to lift the water from the river.

To solve this problem, we undertook the project to design a hydraulic ram pump suitable for
the topography and situation of the hilly region. Our project objective being to work in rural
communities and develop a rural technology which can be durable and efficient, hydram is a
viable and appropriate water pumping system. This technology is efficient and can be
adopted in most of the hilly villages in Nepal.

Although other pumps could also be fitted in the area, we choose ram pump for the following
reasons:

 Use of a renewable energy source (water) ensuring low running cost

 Since ram pump pumps small proportion of the available flow, it has little
environmental impact even if water source is not abundant
 The pump is simple and reliable so it has a low maintenance requirement
 There is good potential for local manufacture in the rural villages
 It is automatic, continuous operation requires no supervision or human input.

Objectives

 To construct hydraulic ram pump using metal pipes,

 To lift water at height greater than source,

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  To explain the possibilities of the practical use

Introduction

A hydraulic ram (also called Hydram) is a pump that uses energy from a falling water to
pump some of it to an elevation much higher than the original level of the source. As long as
there is a continuous flow of falling water, no other energy source is required and the pump
will work continuously and automatically

There are very fertile lands in the hills, but in absence of proper irrigation facility, they have
not been utilized. This hydram can work as an alternative pumping device which uses kinetic
energy of falling water changed into pressure head, and subsequently used to pump water.
The hydram can replace the conventional pumps, and also helps to support the idea of
alternative energy.

Working Principle

Figure 1: Hydraulic ram pump system(Ref:www.appropedia.org)

In order to build a ram pump it is necessary to have an abundant water source (pumps often
waste 90%) such as a stream or spring. The pump must be located at an elevation lower than
the water source. The kinetic energy of the water running downhill through the drive pipe
builds up pressure and uses the water hammer effect from built up water pressure. The pump

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is then able to use this built up pressure to pump the water through a smaller diameter
delivery pipe over a greater distance or an elevation even higher than the original water
source. More than 50% of the energy of the driving flow can be transferred to the delivery
flow.

Figure 2: Hydraulic Ram Pump working (Ref:www.appropedia.org)

Figure 2 illustrates the hydraulic ram; initially the impulse valve (or waste valve since it is the
non-pumped water exit) will be open under gravity (or in some designs it is held open by a
light spring). The water will then flow down the drive pipe (through a strainer) from the
water source. As the flow accelerates, the hydraulic pressure under the impulse valve and the
static pressure in the body of the ram pump will increase until the resulting forces overcome
the weight of the impulse valve and start to close it. As soon as the valve aperture decreases,
the water pressure in the ram pump body builds up rapidly and slams the impulse valve shut.
The moving column of water in the drive pipe is no longer able to exit via the impulse valve
so its velocity must suddenly decrease; this continues to cause a considerable rise of pressure
which forces open the delivery valve to the air-chamber.

Once the pressure exceeds the static delivery head, water will be forced up the delivery pipe.
Air trapped in the air chamber is simultaneously compressed to a pressure exceeding the
delivery pressure. Eventually the column of water in the drive pipe comes to a halt and the
static pressure in the casing then falls to near the supply head pressure. The delivery valve
will then close, when the pressure in the air chamber exceeds that in the casing. Water will
continue to be delivered after the delivery valve has closed until the compressed air in the air
chamber has expanded to a pressure equal to the delivery head. A check valve is included in
the delivery pipe to prevent return flow. When the delivery valve closes, the reduced pressure
in the ram pump body will allow the impulse valve to drop under its own weight, thereby
letting the cycle start all over again. Most ram pumps operate at 30-100 cycles a minute.

The air chamber is a vital component. It may improve the efficiency of the process by
allowing delivery to continue after the delivery valve has closed. It is also essential to cushion

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the shocks that would otherwise occur due to the incompressible nature of water. If the air
chamber fills with water completely, not only does performance suffer, but the ram pump
body, the drive pipe or the air chamber itself can be fractured by the resulting water hammer.
Since water can dissolve air, especially under pressure, there is a tendency for the air in the
chamber to be depleted by being carried away with the delivery flow. Different ram pump
designs overcome this problem in different ways. The simplest solution requires the user to
stop the ram pump occasionally and drain the air chamber by opening two taps, one to admit
air and the other to release water. Another method on more sophisticated ram pumps is to
include a shifting valve which automatically allows air to be drawn into the base of the air
chamber when the water pressure momentarily drops below atmospheric pressure. It is
important with such units to make an occasional check to see that the shifting valve has not
become clogged with dirt and is working properly.

Figure 3: Modern design of Ram Pump (Ref:www.lifewater.ca/ram_pump.htm)

The governing engineering equations are:

Bernoulli's Equation,

P 1 V 21 P2 V 22
+ +Z 1= + + Z 2
Y 2g Y 2g

where , P=Pressure , Y =Specific weight , Z=height

Equation 2: Flows in a Pipe

Q=v∗A

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where
Q=flow rate , v=average water velocity∈channel , A=cross−secional areaof water ∈channel

Methodologies

 Google map understanding of the topography

 Site visit and selection of proper site
 Consultation with expert and literature review
 Testing the performance of the pump in lab by parts assembly
 Installation of the pump in the selected site

Work Accomplished:

• Visit to Singati:

As part of community project, we visited the Singati village in Dolakha. We understood

the basic topographical condition and water management condition of the region. We selected
the proper site for the installation of ram pump.

 Literature Study:

Various reports on ram pump design and installation were studied. We got general idea
about the basic requisite of ram pump design and problem to be faced. We also studied the
past projects. Different internet sites were also used as reference.

 Study of possible site to test the Ram pump:

We have focused on not only the fabrication but also the practical use of the pump. For
evaluation of data we can use pumps in workshop, fluid lab and turbine testing lab.

 Designing of the Ram Pump

We have prepared a preliminary design of the pressure chamber using Solidworks. The
design has been included in the appendix. The design of other parts; Ram, check valves, drive
pipe, delivery pipe will be followed in the upcoming project schedules.

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 General Mathematical calculation

The main working formula is:

D = (S *F *E)/L
where, D = Expected discharge
S = Flow rate available
F = Vertical Fall
L = Vertical Lift
E = Efficiency of the pump (Use theoretical value of 0.66)
We obtained theoretical values for the vertical fall, vertical lift, input and output flow
rates from www.lifewater.ca/ram_pump.htm . The first step in our calculation is to
verify the values using the working formula.
The input flow rate (S)= 1 litre/min = 10-3 m3/min
The theoretical output flow rate expected (D)= 144 litres/24 hrs = 10-4 m3/min
Vertical fall(F) is maintained at constant height =1m

D=(S*F*E)/L
=(10-3 * 1 * 0.66)/5
=1.32*10-4 m3/min
Hence, the value obtained for the output discharge using the working formula is
almost consistent with the theoretical tabular value.

WORKING Lift-Vertical height to which water is raised above the ram(m)

FALL(M) 5 7.5 10 15 20 30 40 50 60 80 100 125
1.0 144 77 65 33 29 19. 12.5
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TABLE: 1. Ram performance data for a supply of 1litre/min
Amount (in ltr) delivered in 24 hours.

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Work Remaining:

 Further literature review

 Market Survey
 Design for the rest of the parts
 Determine the size of the valves
 Additional Calculations
 Visit to CRTN, Kumaripati
 Observe the existing model at Sankhu
 Fabrication of the parts
 Testing of the model.

Problems faced

Although many ram pumps have been designed and used all round the world, not a variety of
ram pump have been seen in our country. The ram pumps are mostly donated by foreign. The
real working of the ram pump would be helpful for us to get an idea about the design
parameters, which we will do soon by visiting a site in Sankhu. Similarly, manual calculation
of pipe and valve dimensional calculation are difficult as large number of calculation had to
be made.

Scope of work

After visiting the Dolakha area around Tamakoshi region we have come to the conclusion
that ram pump can be effective for irrigation in the large cultivable land. We would study
various designs and with the consultation of expert, select the best design. The designed
pump would be tested on the lab in identical topographical condition as in Dolakha region.
The efficiency of the pump will not be in our scope for now. If time permits, we will

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 definitely work in increasing the efficiency. Water lifting options using a mechanical water
pump can play a vital role in the country like Nepal. This mechanical water pump is specially
designed for the hilly regions.

Gantt chart

S.N ACTIVITY Month

October November December +
1 -Preliminary Research
-Discussion
-Consultation
2 -Submission and Presentation of
Project Proposal
3 -Consultation with seniors,
teachers, project supervisor.

4. Presentation to Supervisor
about work on progress.
-Consultation with the project
supervisor.

5 -Field Visit Pen-

ding

6 Calculations and Designing

7 Material Collection ,
Designing.

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Possible Outcomes:

The present study is centred towards the development of a hydraulic ram pump that would
conveniently alleviate the problem of water supply in the community of Tama-Koshi. Study
of various design parameters and their effective usage would enable us to come up with the
best design and model of the ram pump. The model can be used as a reference for further
research mostly on increasing the pump efficiency. The successful completion of the project
helps for development of knowledge on part of rural people about technology. Because the
ram pump can be easily installed and used; and does not use any additional energy source, it
is very cheap and easy to use. So the pump can be very effective in the rural areas.

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References:

1. “Ram pump”,30 Sept.2013,<www.lifewater.ca/ram_pump.htm>

2.”Hydram”,10 Oct.2013,<www.appropedia.org/hydraulic_ram_pumps>

3. “Ram Pump”,19 Nov.2013,<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_ram>

4. “Pump”, 10 Dec. 2013, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pump>

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Photos : Study of Past Projects

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 all dimensions are in mm

Photo : Solid work design for Pressure Chamber

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