Hydraulic Ram Pumps

Ombion: Myths on renewable energy

A LARGE segment of our people still a great amount of clear and right education on renewable energy (RE) like solar, wind, hydro, biomass because despite its fast growing popularity and acceptability some sectors are still blinded by myths on renewable energy.

Let me address some of these myths.

RE materials are mostly imported. Importation yes, but not much anymore because a large part of RE technologies have local substitutes, and can be manufactured by our own engineers and technologists.

Most components of wind technology, hydropower, biomass and even solar system, can be found or produced locally at much cheaper price.

Wind mill blades can be manufactured out of our local fine steels, second grade fiber glass, high grade aluminum. Car and other available alternators can be used for small turbines for microhydro power and as wind turbines. AIDFI model of hydraulic ram pumps can all be made of local materials. All these materials can easily be bought in most local hardwares.

Solar or photovoltaic panel, which is made of high grade silicon, inert metalloid in crystalline form is a material available only in other countries and manufactured using high precision machine. But more countries are manufacturing it which makes it competitive.

Besides, recent research studies have found possible substitute for silicon because it is found to be toxic per se or unprocessed which can cause respiratory problems. The substitutes are said to be safer, clear and cheaper because materials can be produced anywhere in the world.

RE system is very expensive. First, the problem with many of us, we always want a quality and long term facility support but don’t want to invest. Second, if we have the money, we don’t to spend on quality but on cheap materials that won’t last a distance.

Any system always require an investment. The issue of expensive or not is a matter of perspective. If we take solar system as expense then it is. But if we look at it as long term investment that could help us pursue our enterprising activities then it becomes an ordinary expense.

Initial investments on RE can’t match its long term benefits.

Studies I have compiled reveal that it could cost a typical rural household P40,000 to P 50,000 to answer its power needs using solar power technology; P100,000 to 135,000 to power a typical urban-based middle class family with all its modern amenities; P 225,000 to P 250,000 to power a small enterprise; P 250,000 to P300,000 to establish a solar driven water system for the irrigation of a small to medium farm and also for drinking for twenty four hours a day.

HowStuffWorks "How does a hydraulic ram pump work?"

Ram pumps have been around for many decades and are popular for two main reasons:

They need no external source of power -- the force of moving water gives them the power they need. They are extremely simple, with just two moving parts. The basic idea behind a ram pump is simple. The pump uses the momentum of a relatively large amount of moving water to pump a relatively small amount of water uphill.

To use a ram pump, you must have a source of water situated above the pump . For example, you must have a pond on a hillside so that you can locate the pump below the pond. You run a pipe from the pond to the pump. The pump has a valve that allows water to flow through this pipe and build up speed.

Once the water reaches its maximum speed, this valve slams shut. As it slams shut, the flowing water develops a great deal of pressure in the pump because of its inertia. The pressure forces open a second valve. High-pressure water flows through the second valve to the delivery pipe (which usually has an air chamber to allow the delivery pipe to capture as much high-pressure water as possible during the impulse). The pressure in the pump falls. The first valve re-opens to allow water to flow and build up momentum again. The second valve closes. The cycle repeats.

The delivery pipe can rise some distance above both the pump and the source of the water. For example, if the pump is 10 feet below the pond, the delivery pipe might be up to 100 feet above the pump.

You can see that the one big disadvantage of a ram pump is that it wastes a lot of water . Typically, only about 10% of the water it consumes actually makes it up the delivery pipe. The rest flows out of the pump as the water builds momentum.

There is nothing magical happening in a ram pump. A different design that accomplishes the same thing might work like this:

Water flows downhill from the pond and drives a water wheel. The water wheel is connected to a conventional shaft-drive pump (a reciprocating pump, a centrifugal pump, etc.) The pump moves water uphill. This design has more moving parts, but it accomplishes the same thing and has the advantage that it scales to any size very easily. The idea of using the energy of flowing water has been around for a long time!