Performance Characteristics of a Small Hammer Head Pump

Abstract. Many rural farming areas are located far from reliable electricity supply, hence, having a reliable source of water for crops and livestock can prove to be an expensive venture. A water pump operating on the water hammer effect requires no external power source and can serve as an effective means of pumping water to a higher altitude once a reliable supply is available. The small hammer-head pump was designed to operate on the hammer head effect created by the sudden stoppage of a flowing fluid. This design consisted of an inlet section followed by the pump body, a pressure section and an outlet. The experimental set-up for testing the hammer head pump was designed with a variable head input and an adjustable head output. For each test configuration, ten samples of pump supply water and pump waste water were collected. The water samples were collected for 30 s in each case. The results showed delivered water flow rate varied according to a cubic variable with respect to pump outlet height. The pump was capable of delivering water to a maximum height of 8 to 10 times the height of the input head. The pump operated at average efficiencies of 26 %, 16 % and 6 % when the delivery height was twice, four times and six times the input head, respectively. There was a 5 % incremental decrease in pump efficiency as the delivery height increased in increments of the corresponding input head height.