Design of Terrace-Based Hydroponic System using Hydraulic Ram Pump

The primary objective of the study is to design a terrace-based hydroponic system incorporating a hydraulic ram pump and to evaluate the effectiveness of the hydraulic ram pump in terms of drive head, flow rate, and delivery head, while also assessing its overall performance, particularly in terms of water loss percentage. The hydraulic ram pump can deliver a delivery head of 200 cm. To achieve this 200 cm delivery head, a drive head of 20 cm and a drive pipe length of 60 cm are necessary. The flow rate of the ram pump at the delivery pipe is 1.13 liters per minute. The water balance equation was employed to quantify water loss, considering parameters such as initial water volume in storage tanks, water collected in excess water collectors, and overall water losses during a system operation. The study's key findings reveal that during each 15-minute operational cycle, the terrace-based hydroponic system, incorporating a hydraulic ram pump, experienced an average water loss of 4.59 liters, equating to a 2.7% water loss percentage. This 2.7% loss could have a significant impact on sustainability if the system were to be upscaled.