Hydram
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A hydram pumps water from a lower level to a higher one without any power supply or rotating parts. In this example, water from a nearby stream flows down the hill in a pipe. It generates a pressure surge each time its motion is stopped by a valve closing. This compresses the air inside the domed cylinder and provides the energy for a smaller volume of water to be driven uphill. |
A hydram (also known as hydraulic ram, hydram pump or ram pump) is an automatic mechanism that uses hydropower to pump water. This is accomplished through the use of gravity and the momentum of falling water.
The hydraulic ram and the action of water hammers was used in 1796 by the French inventor Joseph Michel Montgolfier (1740–1810) who explored the idea of the pulsation engine and improved upon it to create the first self-acting ram pump. Mongolfier and his brother harnessed the ram pump to run their paper mill and refine a process to manufacture transparent paper.
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