Water hammer or how to make a free pump using water energy

Recommendation points

• Hydraulic ram design
• How and why hydrotaran works
• Feeder and hydraulic valve
• Feeder
• Hydraulic valve
• Factory made hydraulic ram pumps

In this article, we will show you how to create a pump that does not require fuel or electricity to operate. The article contains a description of the principle of operation of the device, the main structural elements, as well as a video with the assembly process of the basic model of the ram pump. You will learn how to assemble it yourself.

Hydraulics is a science as ancient as water itself. The laws of hydraulics apply to absolutely any fluid, and we will consider how to use these laws in organizing a pump or pump using kinetic energy.

A prototype pump based on the action of a water hammer was created in France in the 17th century by the inventor of the Montgolfier balloon. Almost simultaneously with it, an identical design was patented by inventors in England, the USA and Germany. In Russia, he received the sonorous popular name “gidrotaran”.

Hydraulic ram design

Conventional pumps consist of a pumping device (closed impeller, piston, membrane), an activator (internal combustion engine, electric motor, other drive), a pipeline and a valve system. The scheme of a hydraulic ram pump is extremely simple, its uniqueness lies in the fact that the agent itself (water) acts as the activator and piston. Its design is remarkable in that it has no mechanical moving parts (except for two primitive valves), no fuels and lubricants and areas under constant pressure are used.

The base of the pump is a solid three-branch tubing that can be assembled from common fittings and tubing available at any plumbing store.

First branch. A supply pipe (feeder) is connected to it, we will talk about it separately.

Second branch. A non-return valve, an expansion tank with soft walls and an outlet pipe are connected to it through nipples and couplings. A plastic bottle is quite suitable as an expansion tank; on factory models, full-fledged tanks are installed in a metal case with a rubber membrane.

Third branch. The main element must be installed here – a flow-through hydraulic valve. This is a shut-off valve element that shuts off the flow of water at a critical increase in pressure. Its work is regulated by a spring. Such valves up to 1.5 “can be purchased in the store, but with a larger diameter, their cost can be quite high ($ 20 and more). If the task is to create a pump for real household needs for a large volume of water, it is better to make this valve by yourself.

Assembling a pump with a homemade valve – step by step video

How and why hydrotaran works

The main feature of this pump is that it uses the kinetic energy of water that is already in the flow. That is, a level difference is required to supply water to a height. It can be as small as 0.5 m, but the higher this indicator, the more efficient the pump will work. We deliberately do not provide a hydraulic calculation – it is extremely complicated and is reduced only to the optimal proportion of the height difference between the water intake point, the working part of the pump and the upper discharge point. Since this device will be installed in a specific environment, it is reasonable to determine all values ​​on site..

Water entering the feeder, under the influence of gravity, tends to the bottom point, creating an excess pressure to which the hydraulic valve reacts. At the moment of its operation, the water is blocked in a closed system and a water hammer phenomenon occurs, which pushes the water through the check valve into the expansion tank. The elastic walls of the tank accumulate excess pressure from a water hammer, but not in water (it is incompressible), but in air. This pressure pushes the water through the outlet channel (hose, pipe), and the check valve does not allow the pressure to equalize.

The principle of operation of the hydraulic ram pump in the video

After the pressure in the expansion tank is released, the hydraulic valve opens again and the cycle resumes. Water is supplied in pulses. Many have already guessed that the operation of the pump becomes possible due to the difference in the density of the media – incompressible water and air, which easily accumulates pressure. The entire force of the water hammer goes into the compression of the gas (air) in the expansion tank, which then supplies water to the top.

Feeder and hydraulic valve

These two elements are the main ones in the design that you plan to create with your own hands. The entire operation of the unit depends on their size and device..

Feeder

It is a closed channel connecting the water intake point and the water hammer point. Ideally, this is a long, straight pipe that is sloped. The water in the pipe is the very piston that creates excess pressure – the cause of the water hammer. Therefore, the larger the section, the more powerful the ram will be. The diameter of the feeder pipe should be within reasonable limits – from 50 to 150 mm. This value should be related to the diameter of the remaining channels of the system and the required delivery head..

We recommend installing a bell in the intake part of the feeder for better water trapping.

Optimum ratios of diameters of hydraulic ram pump

Feeder, mm	System, mm
50	sixteen
one hundred	32
150	32-50

In the latter case, with a feeder length of 10 m and a drop of 1.5 m, water will be supplied to a height of 10 m at a rate of about 1500 l / h.

Hydraulic valve

The factory model of this device can be expensive due to the material, gaskets and a spring set at a certain pressure. In our case, when we use free energy, which simply does not make sense to save or take into account, the very fact of blocking the flow of water is enough. For this, a self-made hydraulic valve is quite suitable..

Pump with a homemade hydraulic valve – installation video with comments

The ideal place to install such a pump is river rapids with their significant drops or streams.

Factory made hydraulic ram pumps

Of course, such simple and reliable devices could not escape the claims for mass production. At the moment, they are produced by both domestic and foreign firms. However, due to their specifics of work (part of the water is discharged through the valve), they have a rather narrow field of application – in the urban economy they are practically useless, but they are irreplaceable in remote, undeveloped areas, ecovillages and farms.

Today in Russia, only one company produces these environmentally friendly and efficient devices – the production artel “Ural”. The model range is represented by the pumps “Kachalych” GT-01 (190 cu) and GT-03 (110 cu), as well as their varieties.

Making a pump with your own hands will cost a little less, even if you purchase all the parts. However, real savings are achieved with the availability of available tools – in this case, the pump will be practically free, while its performance can be significantly higher due to a larger feeder and the throughput of the entire system.

Any device or device based on the actions of natural forces deserves close attention and development. By ignoring the free energy given by nature itself, we risk suddenly being helpless in the absence of gasoline and electricity. Transfer of subsidiary farming to alternative energy sources is a guarantee of calmness and harmony with the environment.