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For the use of the term in vehicle extraction, see Jaws Of Life "Hydraulic ram" is sometimes used to mean a Pneumatic Cylinder ]] A hydraulic ram is a water-powered Cyclic Pump . It harnesses the forces of Water Hammer to Pump a portion of the water being used to power the pump to a point higher than where the water originally started. It is sometimes used in remote areas, where the right conditions exist, since it requires no outside source of Power other than the Kinetic Energy of falling water. HISTORY In 1772 John Whitehurst of Cheshire in the United Kingdom invented a manually controlled precursor of the hydraulic ram called the "pulsation engine". The first one he installed, in 1775 at Oulton , Cheshire, raised water to a height of 16 Ft (4.9 M ). He installed another in an Irish property in 1783 . He did not Patent it, and details are obscure, but it is known to have had an air vessel. The first self-acting ram pump was invented by the Frenchman Joseph Michel Montgolfier in 1796 for raising water in his Paper Mill at Voiron . His friend Matthew Boulton took out an British patent on his behalf in 1797 . The sons of Montgolfier obtained an English patent for an improved version in 1816 , and this was acquired, together with Whitehurst's design, in 1820 by Josiah Easton , a Somerset -born engineer who had just moved to London . Easton's firm, inherited by his son James ( 1796 - 1871 ), grew during the Nineteenth Century to become one of the more important engineering manufacturers in the United Kingdom, with a large works at Erith , Kent . They specialised in water supply and Sewerage systems world-wide, as well as land Drainage projects. Eastons had a good business supplying rams for water supply purposes to large Country House s, and also to farms and village communities, and a number of their installations still survive in 2004 . The firm was eventually closed in , Hampshire , who were engaged in the manufacturing and installation of the well-known Vulcan and Vacher Rams. Green & Carter now function from Ashbrittle , near Wellington , Somerset. The first US patent was issued to J. Cerneau and S.S. Hallet in 1809 . American interest in hydraulic rams picked up around 1840 , as further patents were issued and domestic companies started offering rams for sale. Toward the end of the 19th Century, interest waned as Electricity and electric Pump s became widely available. By the end of the Twentieth Century interest in hydraulic rams has revived, due to the needs of sustainable Technology in Developing Countries , and Energy Conservation in developed ones. CONSTRUCTION AND PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION A hydraulic ram has only two moving parts, a spring or weight loaded "waste" Valve sometimes known as the "clack" valve and a "delivery" Check Valve , making it cheap to build, easy to maintain, and very reliable. In addition, there is a drive pipe supplying water from an elevated source, and a delivery pipe, taking a portion of the water that comes through the drive pipe to an elevation higher than the source. Sequence of operation |
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