Maile McCann, Will Lopez, and Steven Lopez
Abstract:
The goal of the Ram Pump subteam is to optimize the pumping efficiency of the hydraulic ram pump, where efficiency is measured in energy of water entering the pump over the energy of the water pumped. The hydraulic ram pump pumps clean water through the plumbing system of an AguaClara water treatment plant, which provides treated water for use in the chemical dosing system as well as sinks and toilets, and saves operators time and energy transporting treated water up by hand. The ram pump system is entirely electricity-free.
A major goal of Spring 2018 was to examine maximum energy efficiency. The value of calculating experimental energy efficiency is that the team is then able to compare the values to calculated theoretical energy efficiency. From there, we can exclude terms in the theoretical calculations to determine the main contributors to inefficiency.
This manual outlines procurement, fabrication, testing, and cleaning of the current hydraulic ram pump model as of Spring 2018.
