Engineering Projects/Hydraulic ram/Howard Community College/Fall2012/p2501ATandT

Problem Statement
To create a pump that will successfully elevate water against gravity above the height of its source without using electricity.

Team Members
Aaron Brent

Timothy Fries

Tolulope Ajayi

Summary

 * The previous team that worked on the hydraulic ram did not get far in their design. The team decided to construct a prototype ram on a small scale, then move to a larger scale that could actually supply a usable amount of water. The prototype that we were constructing became the focus of the project, as the team realized that even a small ram like the one the one being built could pump a significant amount of water. After constructing the ram, the team began testing.  Trouble-shooting steps were taken, and modifications were, but ultimately the ram was not able to operate independently. Up until the last day of the project cycle the team was making advances in understanding the performance issues associated with the design.



Story
First week
 * The group met and decided on a problem statement. We researched how a hydraulic ram works, and looked at examples of hydraulic rams that others had built.  We found two Youtube videos particularly helpful, Links are here and here.  The first video shows a ram that is approximately the same size as the one that we set out to build as an initial design.  The second video is of a much larger ram, and may be the inspiration for a later expansion of the project.

Second Week


 * Sourcing components for this project became a driving factor. When an initial trip to the hardware store was made, most of the needed parts were found.  The exception to this was the two non-return valves that serve as the only moving parts in a hydraulic ram.  Home Depot only had a 1/2" valve, and trips to several other hardware store yielded similar results.  The team had no anecdotal evidence that a 1/2" system would work as intended, so a decision matrix was made to explore options as to how to proceed.  The explored criteria led the team to continue working on a 1/2" system while still trying to locally source the 1" non-return valves needed to build a 1" system.  At the beginning of the third week of the project cycle, a local plumbing supply company was found that could supply the valves required to build a 1" system.  Having a professional supplier, Schumacher & Seiler, to provide the needed components had a profound impact on this project.

Third Week
 * This week was mainly used for the construction phase of the project. The first step that was taken was the construction of the Pressure tank, which consisted of 2"inch PVC pipe, a PVC cap, a 2"-2" coupling, a 2"-1" bushing, and a bicycle's inner tubing. The inner tubing aids in providing pressure to the system; thereby, increasing efficiency. After this step was completed, the the team began began constructing the connections between the valves and the drive pipe. By the end of Friday, the ram of 80% complete, all was needed to was to get a 2"-2" and 1"-1" couplings to attach the drive pipe to the ram, and the other to attach the outlet pipe to the ram.

Fourth Week
 * At the beginning of this week, the ram was completed, including the drive pipe, water hose, outlet pipe. With all this complete, we were able to start focusing on testing the hydraulic ram. For our first test, we used the water faucet in the engineering lab as its water source, but to prevent excessive leaking of water, the hydraulic ram was nailed into a board and placed on a water basin, so that waste water that came out of the waste valve would fall into the basin rather than on the floor. A water hose was connected to the facet then to the drive pipe of the ram. During the test runs, we noticed that the waste valve was not actually performing its exact purpose. It is suppose to flap up and down, but it was not doing this on its own, resulting in little to no water was being pumped out of the ram. The flapping of the waste valve creates a water hammer effect which sends a vibration through the system that drives water out of the delivery pipe. We thought maybe the faucet was providing too much pressure, preventing the flapping of the valve.  The team then used a bucket on a slightly elevated surface hoping that this pressure would be enough to work the valve without bypassing it, but it really didn't seem to have much of an effect. When a team-member manually aided the waste valve in flapping by using our finger, we saw some amount of water being pumped out of the ram, though not as much as had been expected.  A snifter valve, consisting of a small drilled hole with a bent pin inserted into it just below the non-return valve, was added to the system in hopes that it would fix the problem, but it didn't. It did have a pronounced effect in the form of increased water flow up into the pump when the waste valve was manually operated.  Another modification was tested, wherein a piece of wine cork was glued to the bottom of the waste valve. The thought behind this was that the cork would act as a float, aiding the water in lifting the valve flap, but this was ultimately unsuccessful.  When the water was released, the waste valve did open slightly, but it was not flapping.

All of this testing was performed over the period of one week. Here is a video link to our hydraulic ram : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EBFV0K5BSs
 * On the last day of the project cycle, a final test was performed. The team had constructed a water source from a 5 gallon bucket, but this had leaked profusely throughout testing, making it difficult to use in the classroom.  The ram was brought to one of the team member's home where it was easier to elevate the water source.  The water source was elevated to about ten feet off of the ground, the water source was filled from a hose, and a second hose was used to construct a delivery pipe that was then run up to the same height as the water source.  The same problem was observed in this test as in the previous tests.  The water would flow freely around the valve, and would only pump up into the ram when the valve was manually operated.  Now that the system was being tested under the full set of circumstances under which it should perform, and was failing to do so, the method of construction was brought into question.  Source material for the project was reviewed, and a mistake was highlighted.  In similar systems that were successful, the waste valve was pointed in the opposite direction to the one in the team's system.  The team had attempted this as a testing step before with no result, but another test with the valve flipped was conducted.  Again, it yielded no result.  This prompted further research, and it seems that the team's system may have the wrong kind of non-return valve installed.  The one in the system operates using a flap, basically being a PVC version of the brass non-return valve that is being used as a waste valve.  In the systems that the team had initially researched, a PVC non-return valve was used that utilizes a ball to prevent returning water.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmThOKES7KY&feature=youtu.be
 * here are also some videos of our testing; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX7mq3an4nM&feature=youtu.be

Material List

 * 1) 1/2", 1", and 2" PVC pipe from Home Depot


 * 1) PVC cement


 * 1) 1/2" and 1" ball stop valve from Home Depot ($2.52 and $5.15, respectively)


 * 1) 1" brass swing check valve from Schumacher & Seiler ($20.62)


 * 1) PVC swing check valve from Schumacher & Seiler ($17.58)


 * 1) Bike tire inter-tube (free from classmate)


 * 1) 1" PVC 90° bend from Schumacher & Seiler ($2.21)


 * 1) 2x 1"-1/2" and 1x 2"-1" PVC bushings from Schumacher & Seiler


 * 1) 2 1" PVC Tees


 * 1) 2"-2" and 1"-1" couplings


 * 1) 1 thin nail


 * 1) Silicon sealant from Home Depot

Software List
No software was required for this project

Tutorials
Here are some tutorials on how to build an hydraulic ram that were produced by outside sources
 * 1.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgrythkYDIg
 * 2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-cGi1rF6yQ&feature=fvwberel
 * 3.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkrWEAyYhbU

Next Steps
After further research, it appears that the reason that the hydraulic ram is not working is not the brass swing check valve as the team had suspected after testing, but rather the PVC non-return valve. In the systems that the team researched, the non-return valve that was used utilized a ball to close off reverse flow of water. The PVC non-return valve that is in the team's system uses a flapping valve instead. The non-return valve is what drives the waste valve in a hydraulic ram. On the stroke of the cycle where it closes, the water is driven back and closes the waste valve. The waste valve then pushes water back against the non-return valve, which opens it. This inter-play between the valves is the essence of the water hammer effect. The next step with this project would be to acquire one of these ball valves and replace the existing valve, then re-test.