Editing Hydraulic ram (section)

== History ==
[[Image:DSCN3606-hydraulic-ram.JPG|thumb|right|Figure&nbsp;1: A John Blake's hydram that drives a fountain at the [[Centre for Alternative Technology]]]][[File:Ram Pump (Vogn 2011) ubt.ogv|thumb|A ram pump in [[Vogn]], [[North Denmark Region|Nordjylland]], [[Denmark]]]]
[[File:Hydraulic ram Kajny.webm|thumb|A hydraulic ram in [[Kajny]], [[Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship|Warmia]], [[Poland]]]]

In 1772, [[John Whitehurst]] of [[Cheshire]], [[England]], invented a manually controlled precursor of the hydraulic ram called the "pulsation engine" and installed the first one at [[Oulton, Cheshire]] to raise water to a height of {{convert|4.9|m|ft}}.<ref>{{cite journal
 | last = Whitehurst
 | first = John
 | title = Account of a Machine for Raising Water, executed at Oulton, in Cheshire, in 1772
 | journal = Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society
 | volume = 65
 | pages = 277–279
 | year = 1775
 | url = http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/cgi-bin/ilej/image1.pl?item=page&seq=1&size=1&id=pt.1775.x.x.65.x.277
 | doi =10.1098/rstl.1775.0026 | doi-access = free
 }}
</ref><ref>Descriptions of Whitehurst's and Montgolfier's pumps appear in: James Ferguson and David Brewster, ''Lectures on Select Subjects'', 3rd ed. (Edinburgh, Scotland: Stirling & Slade, etc., 1823), vol. 2, [https://books.google.com/books?id=NrYEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA287 pages 287-292]; plates, p. 421.</ref> In 1783, he installed another in [[Ireland]]. 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 [[Montgolfier brothers|Joseph Michel Montgolfier]] (best known as a co-inventor of the [[hot air balloon]]) in 1796 for raising water in his [[paper mill]] at [[Voiron]].<ref>{{cite web|last=de Montgolfier|first=J.M.|title=Note sur le bélier hydraulique, et sur la manière d'en calculer les effets|trans-title=Note on the hydraulic ram, and on the method of calculating its effects|url=http://annales.ensmp.fr/articles/1802-1803-1/32-38.pdf|work=Journal des Mines, 13 (73)|pages=42–51|language=fr|year=1803}}</ref> His friend [[Matthew Boulton]] took out a British patent on his behalf in 1797.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=(Editorial staff) |title=Specification of the patent granted to Matthew Boulton, of Soho, in the county of Stafford, esquire; for his invention of improved apparatus and methods of raising water, and other fluids. ... Dated Dec. 13, 1797. |journal=The Repertory of Arts and Manufactures |date=1798 |volume=9 |issue=51 |pages=145–162 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=688cAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA145}}</ref> The sons of Montgolfier obtained a British patent for an improved version in 1816,<ref>See, for example: [https://books.google.com/books?id=dGQ7AQAAIAAJ&pg=PA405 "New Patents: Pierre François Montgolfier,"] ''The Annals of Philosophy'', '''7''' (41) : 405 (May 1816).</ref> 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 England, with a large works at [[Erith]], [[Kent]]. They specialised in water supply and [[sanitary sewer|sewerage]] systems worldwide, as well as land [[drainage]] projects. Eastons had a good business supplying rams for water supply purposes to large [[English country house|country house]]s, farms, and village communities. Some of their installations still survived as of 2004, one such example being at the hamlet of [[Toller Whelme]], in [[Dorset]]. Until about 1958 when the mains water arrived, the hamlet of [[East Dundry]] just south of [[Bristol]] had three working rams – their noisy "thump" every minute or so resonated through the valley night and day: these rams served farms that needed much water for their dairy herds.

The firm closed in 1909, but the ram business was continued by [[James R. Easton]]. In 1929, it was acquired by Green & Carter <!--Company's own web site is not a reliable reference --><ref>[http://www.greenandcarter.com/ Green and Carter – Hydraulic Ram Pump inventors and patentees], ''www.greenandcarter.com'', accessed 2 December 2022</ref> of [[Winchester]], [[Hampshire]], who were engaged in the manufacturing and installation of [[Vulcan ram|Vulcan]] and Vacher Rams.

[[File:Roscheiderhof-lambachpumpe.jpg|thumb|Hydraulic ram, System Lambach now at [[Roscheider Hof Open Air Museum]]]]
The first US patent was issued to [[Joseph Cerneau]] (or Curneau) and [[Étienne Sulpice Hallet|Stephen (Étienne) S. Hallet]] (1755-1825) in 1809.<ref>See:
* ''Executive Documents of the House of Representatives at the Second Session of the Twenty-first Congress'', vol. 2 (Washington, D.C.: Duff Green, 1831), [https://books.google.com/books?id=YYlHAQAAIAAJ&pg=RA4-PA1828 pages 328 and 332].
* Letter from Stephen S. Hallet to U.S. President James Madison, September 9, 1808. Available on-line at: [https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/03-01-02-0404 U.S. National Archives].</ref><ref>See also Robert Fulton's hydraulic ram pump: letter to Thomas Jefferson, March 28, 1810. Available on-line at: [https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-02-02-0267-0002 U.S. National Archives].</ref> US 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 pumps became widely available.

[[Priestly's Hydraulic Ram]], built in 1890 in Idaho, was a "marvelous" invention, apparently independent, which lifted water {{convert|110|ft|m}} to provide irrigation. The ram survives and is listed on the U.S. [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name=nrhpdoc-renk>{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=75000631}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Priestly's Hydraulic Ram |publisher=[[National Park Service]]|author=Thomas B. Renk |date=February 22, 1974 |access-date=November 15, 2019}} With {{NRHP url|id=75000631|photos=y|title=accompanying two pictures from 1973}}</ref><ref>NOTE: This pump claims to have no moving valves and uses high-pressure air, so it may actually be a [[pulser pump]].</ref>

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. An example is Aid Foundation International in the [[Philippines]], who won an [[Ashden Award]] for their work developing ram pumps that could be easily maintained for use in remote villages.<ref>{{cite web| title =AID Foundation 2007 Ashden Award| url =http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners/aidfoundation| access-date =2008-07-09| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080528233508/http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners/aidfoundation| archive-date =2008-05-28| url-status =dead}}</ref> The hydraulic ram principle has been used in some proposals for exploiting [[wave power]], one of which was discussed as long ago as 1931 by [[Walter de Haas|Hanns Günther]] in his book ''In hundert Jahren''.<ref>{{cite book |title = In hundert Jahren |author = Hanns Günther (Walter de Haas) |year = 1931 | publisher = Kosmos}}</ref>

Some later ram designs in the UK called '''compound rams''' were designed to pump treated water using an untreated drive water source, which overcomes some of the problems of having drinking water sourced from an open stream.<ref>Interpretation board at the [[Lost Gardens of Heligan]], Cornwall</ref>

In 1996 English engineer Frederick Philip Selwyn patented a more compact hydraulic ram pump where the waste valve used the [[venturi effect]] and was arranged concentrically around the input pipe.<ref>Frederick Philip Selwyn, [http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=06206041&PageNum=1&&IDKey=033A8E0EA73A&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526p=1%2526u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html%2526r=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526d=PALL%2526S1=6206041.PN.%2526OS=PN/6206041%2526RS=PN/6206041 pdfpiw.uspto.gov] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203114926/http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=06206041&PageNum=1&&IDKey=033A8E0EA73A&HomeUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect2%3DPTO1%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D6206041.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F6206041%2526RS%3DPN%2F6206041 |date=2017-02-03 }}, "Fluid pressure amplifier", U.S. Patent no. 6,206,041 (filed: 2 April 1997; issued: 27 March 2001).</ref>  Initially patented as a fluid pressure amplifier due to its different design, it is currently sold as the "Papa Pump".<ref>{{cite web |title=Papa Pump |url=https://www.waterpoweredtechnologies.com/papa-pump/ |website= Water Powered Technologies |date=7 June 2021 |access-date=2 December 2022}}</ref>
Additionally to this a large scale version named the "Venturo Pump" <ref>{{cite web |title=Venturo Pump |url=https://www.waterpoweredtechnologies.com/under-development/ |website= Water Powered Technologies |date=July 2021 |access-date=2 December 2022}}</ref> is also being manufactured.